London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kensington 1957
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
- 41 -
| Name of Area | Date of Declaration | No. of houses | No. of persons displaced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin Mews | 25. 4. 1950 | 28 | 86 |
| Lionel Mews (Nos. 1 and 2.) | 3. 10. 1950 | 13 | 38 |
| Lonsdale Mews (Nos. 1 and 2.) | 2. 1. 1951 | 19 | 14 |
| Munro Mews | 2. 1. 1951 | 24 | 55 |
| South End Row and Gardens | 3. 4. 1951 | 10 | 4 |
| East Mews Road | 3. 4. 1951 | 14 | 40 |
| Powis Mews | 13. 11. 1951 | 13 | 30 |
| St. Lukes Mews | 13. 11. 1951 | 20 | 41 |
| Portobello Road | 13. 11. 1951 | 4 | 3 |
| Kensal New Town (No. l) Area | 11. 12. 1956 | 34 | 309 |
The Minister of Housing and Local Government has confirmed that
all the above-mentioned areas may be dealt with as clearance areas
with the exceptions that (a) in the case of St. Lukes Mews seven properties
were excluded from the confirming order and, (b) in the case of South End
Row and Gardens, the owners carried out the necessary demolition works
prior to the Minister's decision.
Future programme for Slum Clearance
Section 1 of the Housing Repairs and Rents Act, 1954, (now
Section 2 of the Housing Act, 1957), required Metropolitan boroughs,
jointly with the London County Council, to submit to the Minister of Housing
and Local Government proposals for dealing with unfit houses by way of
demolition or clearance area procedure.
A survey was made in Kensington of the houses where conditions
were known to be below standard. A total of 7,416 premises were
inspected and 3,293 houses were deemed to be unfit for habitation.
After consultation with the London County Council, proposals were submitted to the Minister comprising the following areas thought to be suitable for clearance area procedure:-
| Premises | Estimated population | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Families | Persons | ||||
| Railway Mews | 10 | 4 | 9 | ||
| Kensington Park Mews | 13 | 9 | 26 | ||
| Stanley Gardens Mews | 4 | 2 | 5 | ||
| Lecky Street | 5 | 2 | 4 | ||
| Portland Road | 16 | 39 | 110 | ||
| Penelon Place, Ashley Cottages & Warwick Road | 66 | 57 | 176 | ||
| Kensal New Town | 516 | 1,106 | 3,550 | ||
| 630 | 1,219 | 3,880 | |||
The Minister approved these proposals and fixed ten years as
the period for securing the demolition of unfit houses-
By agreement, the London County Council accepted responsibility
for dealing with the Fenelon Place Area, which was declared by the
County Council to be a clearance area, and was acquired by them. The
detailed redevelopment of this site is the subject of discussions between