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54
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. Of the schemes
prepared and submitted to the Ministry, five 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. These buildings are now fully occupied.
Details of each approved scheme arc shown in table No. 38 (Page 57).
Reviewing the history of the past 40 years, it would appear that the
housing policy of the Borough Council has been firstly to preserve,
where possible, in areas threatened with demolition, such working class
accommodation as was of reasonably good type ; and secondly, to
provide accommodation by means of new buildings in an accessible
situation within the Borough for those persons of the working class who
are average representatives of their class, and for whom the necessities
of their trade or calling render residence within the Borough desirable
or necessary.
It cannot be disputed that at the present time in Chelsea, as in other
Metropolitan Boroughs, there is considerable dearth of accommodation
both for the working classes, and for the classes in receipt of small salaries
or earnings, and that, as elsewhere, this situation is primarily due to the
restrictions imposed upon the building trades during the war and the
economic disturbances which have succeeded it.
It will, however, be evident from the details already given that the
existing shortage of housing accommodation in Chelsea is being most
adequately dealt with and that the extremely difficult problems which
confronted the Borough Council subsequent to the war arc gradually
being overcome.
Overcrowding.—During the period* 1st November—4th December,
1935, a Survey of Working Class dwelling houses in the Borough was
carried out in accordance with the requirements of Part 1, section 1,
of the Housing Act, 1935. The total number of houses dealt with and
recorded was 5,112. The total number of families comprised in the
enumeration was 8,490, and judged by the standard laid down in the
Housing Act, 1935,749 of these families were found to be living in overcrowded
conditions—a percentage of 8.78 for the Borough as a whole. The
problem of abating overcrowding is receiving close consideration by a
Special Committee of the Council. Many cases when approached as to
the desirability of having their names submitted to the County Council,with
a view to provision of housing on one of the Council's Estates, declinc to
consider the proposition, on the ground that the distance of the County
Council's Estates from their work is too great. Others have become
attached to the district and will not contemplate forsaking existing
interests and associations. Owing to the extreme difficulty of finding
alternative accommodation it has not been found practicable to deal