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area and demolition of the houses is due to start in 1969. A further
Compulsory Purchase Order was made in respect of the remaining area during
the year, and it is anticipated that a Public Inquiry will be held during
the early part of 1969.
Linked with this Lancaster Road (West) redevelopment area is the
Blechynden Street Area, situated north-west of the metropolitan railway
line. This area is being redeveloped by the Greater London Council and,
during the year, 101 flats were completed of the total of 342 flats which
are to be provided on this twelve-acre site.
Houses in Multiple Occupation.
The implementation of the legislative powers for dealing with houses
in multiple occupation commenced in 1963, within the area bounded by
Acklam Road, Portobello Road, Wornington Road and St. Ervans Road. With
the exception of a very small number of houses where work is still
proceeding, action in this area has been completed.
The original area contained 1,463 houses, but inspections have been
extended south of the metropolitan railway and into the Pembridge Ward,
so that the total number of houses involved is 1,900.
The following table summarises the action taken in 1968 and the
total results since the operation commenced in 1963. It will be seen
that 1,512 of the 1,900 properties in the area have now been inspected:-
1963/67
1968
TOTAL
Houses inspected
1,290
222
1,512
Re-inspections
23,756
8,497
32,253
No action required
168
98
266
Management Orders made
142
15
157
Notices served-
Section 9 - Housing Act, 1957
896
142
1,038
Section 14 - Housing Act, 1961
102
29
131
Section 15 - Housing Act, 1961
903
94
997
Section 16 - Housing Act, 1961
406
92
498
Work completed
614
119
733
Work in default authorised
250
29
279
To deal with this work on houses in multiple occupation, the Council
have established a section consisting of a senior and five other public
health inspectors. During the year under review, the section was
maintained at full strength to deal with this very important aspect of
the Council's housing work.
Although this work is not without difficulties, many of the problems
encountered in the earlier days of the project, and which have been
mentioned in earlier Reports, are now disappearing. The Council's policy
of executing work in default is now more widely known among owners and
has had a good effect in securing the execution of works by them.
Improvement Grants.
The circumstances in which the Council may make discretionary or
standard grants to owners for the improvement or conversion of private
dwellings were given in detail in my Annual Report for 1965. In
September, 1968, the administration of this work was transferred from
the Town Clerk's Department to the Health and Welfare Department.