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The w.c. apartments in the flats over the stable premises are badly designed, the only means
of light and ventilation consisting of a shaft about a foot square leading from the ceiling of the
apartment to the roof. Also the ground floor w.c. apartments in the other houses are dark, being
constructed under the staircase with a ceiling height of about 6 ft. 3 in.
Ventilation under the ground floor premises is provided by means of 9 in. by 3 in. air gratings
back and front, but evidence of rising dampness indicates a non-existent or defective horizontal
damp course. There is also evidence of dampness in some of the back rooms on upper floors which
is apparently due to defective or choked rainwater pipes and gutters.
The drainage of each premises is apparently sound and of good construction.
The sixteen premises have a total of 170 rooms and are occupied by 254 persons.
In May, 1931, I submitted an official representation in respect of Barker Street in which I
expressed the opinion that all the buildings should be demolished, and this representation is now
receiving the consideration of the Council.
OTHER AREAS REQUIRING ATTENTION.
Section 31 of the Housing Act, 1930, provides, inter alia, that the London County Council
shall carry out such reviews of housing conditions and submit to the Minister of Health such proposals
for the provision of new houses and such quinquennial statements and measures to be taken as are
required by the Act. The County Council must consult the Metropolitan Borough Councils on
this matter and this step was taken in the Autumn of last year, when the Kensington Borough
Council informed the County Council that, in addition to the areas mentioned above under the
heading of " Clearance Areas," the following areas called for attention :—
Gadsden Mews.
This is an area comprising fourteen mews dwellings which should be regarded as a small clearance
area. It is not desirable that new houses should be erected on the site after demolition owing to
the fact that it is rather closed in by surrounding buildings. In view of the difficulty of securing
alternative accommodation, this is an area which might be left until the housing shortage becomes
less acute.
Bolton Road.
There are in this road thirty-three houses and a short time ago the number of residents was
402. Ten of the houses have recently been acquired by a business man; he has secured vacant
possession and proposes to demolish them with a view to erecting premises for commercial purposes.
The Council have frequently had before them problems in connection with Bolton Road, and the
new Housing Act affords an opportunity of securing a very desirable improvement. Careful
consideration will be required with a view to deciding whether the area should be dealt with as a
clearance or improvement area.
Bramley Mews.
There are fourteen dwellings in this mews, with about forty-five occupants. At present they
do not constitute a clearance or improvement area, but it is possible that they may call for attention
during the course of the next five years.
Hayden's Place (including Tavistock Mews).
This is a site comprising eleven or twelve houses which have no yards; the water closets are
without external walls and, in some cases, have inadequate ventilation. This appears to be a
small clearance or improvement area.
BY-LAWS RELATING TO HOUSES LET IN LODGINGS.
At the beginning of 1923, there were on the Council's register of houses let in lodgings
2,169 houses, and in the first month of that year it was resolved to appoint additional staff to make
a routine inspection of all houses on the register, to bring them up to the standard enforceable
under the by-laws then in operation, and also to inspect all other houses let in lodgings with a view
to placing on the register those which it was thought desirable should be brought under periodical
review.
In March, 1926, when the present code of by-laws came into operation, the number on the register
had reached 3,651.
The introduction of the new by-laws, with their altered requirements, called for re-inspection,
and two temporary sanitary inspectors, who had been retained for housing work, commenced to
" comb through " the borough again. Owing to the altered definition of a house let in lodgings,
which resulted in a house occupied by two families only or by one family with two lodgers being
non-registerable, there has been a gradual decline in the number of houses on the register and the
figure at the end of December, 1930, was 3,111.