View report page

39
Treverton Street Improvement Area.
This area was declared to be an improvement area in May, 1935, at which time there were 2,449
persons living in 238 houses.
Considerable difficulty has been experienced in obtaining by-laws necessary to secure improvements
in this area similar to those in force in the Southam Street and Crescent Street areas.
The Minister of Health came to the conclusion that, as improvement area procedure was abolished
by the Housing Act, 1935, he was unable to confirm any new improvement area by-laws. After
extensive negotiations between the Ministry of Health, the county council and the borough council,
by-laws have been made under section 6 of the Housing Act, 1925, and are now awaiting the approval
of the Minister. They are almost identical with those which apply in the two previous improvement
areas, with the exception that the overcrowding standard of 450 cubic feet per person is replaced
by the new national standard laid down in the 1935 Act.
When the by-laws are in operation, the borough council will be able to eliminate overcrowding,
to close basements and to secure necessary repairs under Part II of the 1930 Housing Act. Indeed,
it is hoped that the improvements to be secured under these somewhat modified powers will be of
the same high standard as those obtained in the Southam Street area.
New accommodation for rehousing the overcrowded families and persons displaced from
basements is being provided in the form of flats by arrangement between the borough council and
the Peabody donation fund.
Housing Accommodation provided by the Borough Council.
The following is a list of the properties owned and managed by the borough council:—
No. of houses
Situation of properties. or flats.
Kenley Street, Seymour King Buildings, 4, Hesketh Place and 6, Runcorn
Place 120
St. James's Place, Bosworth Road, Sirdar Road, Hesketh Place, Runcorn
Place, Walmer Road and Windsor House 103
Southam House 9
Powis Square, Colville Terrace, Elgin Crescent, 85, Ladbroke Grove,
47, Bassett Road and 20a, Adair Road (conversions) 102
St. Quintin Estate (Sec. 1 & 2), and Avondale Park Gardens 116
St. Quintin Estate (Sec. 3, 4 & 5), Threshers Place, etc 133
Morland House 20
Talbot Grove and Mews 44
In addition to the above property within the borough, the council, by virtue of rate contributions
to the county council, have the right to nominate tenants to 99 county council houses on the
Wormholt estate, and 50 houses on other county council estates.
Accommodation provided in the Borough by Housing Associations.
The property owned by the voluntary housing associations operating within the borough is
shown below:—
A.—The Kensington housing trust own two freehold houses, 157 flats and 51 leasehold houses.
In October, 1934, a block of 80 flats was completed on a site at Dalgarno Gardens,
about one acre in extent, leased to the trust by the Kensington borough council at a
peppercorn rent for 999 years. Early in the present year work was commenced on the
demolition of some old cottages and the erection of thirty flats on the cleared site.
B.—The Wilsham housing trust own 75 single-family houses, 66 self-contained flats, and 54
houses let in lodgings.
C.—The improved tenements association acquired during the year the freeholds of three houses
and the leaseholds of four. At the end of the year they held 239 freehold houses, 68 leasehold
houses and 27 freehold ground rents.
D.—Several smaller housing associations, closely associated in management with the Wilsham
trust, owned at the end of the year 39 houses and 14 flats.
E.—In 1929 the Sutton trustees acquired a large building plot of about eight acres in Dalgarno
Gardens, and built 540 flats. During 1934 a further 101 flats were erected on approximately
one acre of land at Dalgarno Gardens.
F.—The Peabody donation fund have taken over on a long lease at a nominal rent about five
acres of land at Dalgarno Gardens, and are building blocks of flats which will eventually
provide accommodation for 1,607 persons. During 1934 a block of 142 flats was erected,
and further blocks are to be erected during the next year or so.
G.—The council have approved plans of 68 flats to be erected by the Gas Light and Coke
Company on land owned by them at the northern end of Ladbroke Grove. These are now
in course of erection and it is expected that they will be completed by June, 1936.