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Basement back rooms, even though not technically underground, are often more unsatisfactory
than basement front rooms ; the window is generally smaller, and the outlook is often into a small,
badly lighted back yard, perhaps with overhanging trees or shut in by high walls. The back rooms
generally have a smaller cubic capacity than the front rooms.
The survey undertaken covered 5,403 basements with 10,863 rooms. Of these, 4,134 are used
for sleeping purposes, and the number of persons sleeping in them is 8,898. In only 27 of the
5,403 basements was there found evidence of a damp-proof course ; it is probable that a dampproof
course is present in more cases, but is hidden by the cement rendering which is commonly
applied to walls as a remedy for dampness. The majority of the basements have wooden floors.
In only 317 is there evidence of a concrete oversite.
The council have been endeavouring for several years to prevail upon the central authorities
to grant more adequate powers for dealing with the problem of the occupation of unsatisfactory
basement rooms, and following consideration of the survey they made further representations,
with the result that an appropriate section was included in the London County Council (General
Powers) Act of 1933. The section provides that, in a declared improvement area, the council can
close underground rooms for sleeping, or for living, or for both purposes, if these do not comply
with the regulations relating to such rooms. The section also enables the council to close any unfit
room in an improvement area for living and sleeping purposes, irrespective of whether that room
is let separately or in conjunction with other rooms. It was realised that there might be some
difficulty in persuading Parliament to give these new powers for application throughout the borough
and consequently the council asked that they should apply only to declared improvement areas.
Kensington is the only authority in the country entrusted with these special measures, and their
application will be watched with considerable interest.
THE PROBLEM OF CLOSED BASEMENT ROOMS.
Unoccupied basement rooms tend to become a source of nuisance to the remaining tenants
of the house and to the neighbourhood. In view of the council's power to close unsatisfactory
basement rooms in improvement areas, it is desirable that they should possess some power of control
after the vacation of such rooms. The first code of improvement area by-laws for Kensington
provides that, where a closing order has been made, the occupier must remove any rubbish or
refuse from the room and keep it clean and wholesome, and, in so far as it is necessary for effective
cleansing, the owner must strip off all unclean or unwholesome paper and remove any woodwork
affected by vermin or by wet or dry rot. Moreover, the London County Council (General Powers)
Act, 1933, provides that, whilst a closing order remains in force, no person shall use the room
otherwise than for a purpose approved by the Kensington borough council.
POWERS FOR DEALING WITH OVERCROWDING AND INDECENT OCCUPATION.
(a) Overcrowding.
The Housing Act, 1930, provides that a code of by-laws must be made in respect of each
improvement area declared. The by-laws are intended to prevent and abate overcrowding, and
generally to secure improvement of housing conditions and subsequent maintenance of a proper
standard of housing conditions in a declared area.
The Minister of Health has issued model improvement area by-laws for the guidance of local
authorities, and these suggest that in an improvement area each person over 10 years of age (or 5)
shall have 40 square feet of floor space, and each person under 10 years of age (or 5) shall have
30 square feet, in a sleeping apartment. In a room 8 feet high this would give a person over 10
years of age (or 5) 320 cubic feet of free air space, and a person under 10 years of age (or 5) 240
cubic feet. The county council have introduced standard by-laws for application to improvement
areas in London, and these require 400 cubic feet of air space for each person over 10 years of age
and 300 cubic feet for each person under 10 years of age, in a room used as a sleeping apartment.
The borough council have urged that in a fully built-up area such as North Kensington, where owing
to its proximity to the centre of London, there is a great demand for housing accommodation, and
where a large percentage of the rooms are used for both living and sleeping purposes, the standards
proposed by the Minister of Health and the London county council are not adequate to enable
satisfactory conditions to be maintained. These standards would enable the usual type of house
let in lodgings in North Kensington to be occupied by such a large number of persons as to create
congestion on the site and to produce unreasonably heavy wear and tear, particularly in the passages,
staircases and other parts of the house in common use. These considerations caused the council
to press for a higher cubic capacity standard, and it is pleasing to record that the first set of
improvement area by-laws for Kensington provides that in each house in an improvement area
every person, irrespective of age, shall have 450 cubic feet of air space in an apartment used wholly
or partly for sleeping purposes.
(b) Indecent occupation.
The model improvement area by-laws of the Ministry of Health provide that an occupier of a house
shall not knowingly permit it to be occupied at any one time by such a number of persons that the
sleeping accommodation will be insufficient to allow the separation of persons of opposite sexes over the
age of 14 years, other than persons living together as husband and wife. If the accommodation
occupied by a family were sufficient to allow the separation of the sexes, the council would be unable
to take action under such by-laws, even if they found evidence of indecent occupation. Thus,
this provision is much less stringent than that which the council have hitherto exercised under
their own (now repealed) by-laws in respect of houses let in lodgings. Under these old by-laws