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It is also the practice for the Housing Office to request the
Medical officer of Health to arrange for the inspection of underground
rooms, basements and parts of requisitioned premises
to see whether they are regarded as fit for human habitation
within the meaning of the Housing Acts. During 1952,34 such
parts of premises were referred to the Public Health Department;
in 18 instances they were found to be unfit for human habitation
and the Director of Housing was notified accordingly.
It will be seen from the foregoing that the closest cooperation
exists between the two Departments.
Slum Clearance.
Early in the year the first of the areas in the five-year
Slum Clearance Programme agreed between this Council and
the London County Council was represented. This was the
Wagner Street Area comprising three houses, the Clearance Order
for which was confirmed by the Minister of Housing and Local
Government on 1st July and became operative on 22nd August.
The next two areas in the programme to be dealt with by
the Borough Council, viz., the Astley Street Area (comprising
21 houses) and the Sandgate Street Area (2 houses) were represented
in November.
The London County Council have agreed to rehouse families
nominated by Borough Councils from small areas of not more
than ten houses dealt with by Borough Councils under the
programme, and will consider on their merits applications from
Borough Councils for assistance in rehousing families from larger
clearance areas on the basis of contributing up to 50 per cent. of
the additional rehousing required. It may be necessary, therefore,
for the Borough Council to provide accommodation for a
certain number of families in the Astley Street Clearance Area.
Consideration was also given during the year to the Banstead
Street, Kimpton Road No. 1 and Kimpton Road No. 2 Clearance
Orders. These Orders became operative in 1938 and 1939 but
owing to the outbreak of war no action was taken to secure the
demolition of the buildings. As only one house in each area
was still occupied, the Council decided to offer alternative
housing accommodation to the tenants and to proceed to give
effect to the Orders. All the Clearance Orders which were made
by this Council and confirmed before the war have now been
dealt with.
The London County Council were also active in the sphere
of Slum Clearance in this Borough. A Public Local Inquiry was
held at the Town Hall during May in respect of the Picton Street
Area, which had been declared by the County Council towards the
end of 1951, and involved nearly 700 houses. The Orders in