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It will be seen that in Chelsea at the outbreak of war there was available
accommodation for about 7,000 persons of the wage-earning class—
an amount which, in proportion to population, was considerably higher
than that obtaining in any other metropolitan borough.
Since the war, the economic situation and other factors, particularly
the shortage of and greatly increased cost of building land in Chelsea
have rendered an already difficult situation still more difficult. The
Housing Committee of the Borough Council has been actively engaged
in investigating possible sites in connection with further Housing Schemes
and from time to time various schemes have been formulated by the
Council and submitted to the Ministry of Health for approval. The
World's End Passage Improvement Scheme, 1927, is referred to elsewhere.
Of the remaining schemes prepared and submitted to the
Ministry, three have fortunately materialised, approval of the others
not being obtained on the ground that the cost of the land was much
higher than the price the Ministry could sanction for the purchase of
land to be used for the erection of buildings to house the working classes.
Two schemes—those of Hortensia Road and King's Road—were completed
in 1925 and 1929 respectively, and the buildings are now fully
occupied. The remaining scheme is in course of development. Details
of each scheme are as follows
(1) Hortensia House, Hortensia Road.
This group of buildings, comprising an area of 1 acre, 12 poles, provides
accommodation for 250 persons in 56 flats, namely 35 threeroom
and 21 four-room flats. The total cost of the site and buildings
was £48,970. The total weekly rents, including hot water supply and
electricity, vary from 25s. to £1 14s. 3d. This scale of rents was drawn
up on an economic basis, on the instructions of the Ministry of Health,
the Ministry's decision being based upon the high cost of the site and
construction. Such rents are obviously much higher than the working
classes proper can afford to pay and indeed most of the tenants are
classes in receipt of small salaries or earnings—a group not usually included
under the term " working classes."
(2) Guinness Trust Buildings, King's Road.
This group of buildings comprises an area of 1 acre, 3 roods and 28|
poles, situated towards the western extremity of the Borough and