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85
HOUSING
General Improvement Area
The area bounded by Talbot Road on the north, Ledbury Road on
the east, all properties in Lonsdale Road (other than the Portobello
Court Estate) on the south and Portobello Road on the west was
declared a General Improvement Area by the Council under Section 28 of
the Housing Act, 1969. on 28th October, 1969.
The area contains 302 properties of which 265 are used for
habitation. There is, in addition, a school building and two modern
blocks owned by the Council containing 20 self-contained flats.
The 302 properties can be divided into three main types. First,
the properties in Portobello Road, Talbot Road and part of Ledbury
Road which have a business use on the ground floor and the upper part
occupied for living purposes or suitable for such occupation. Secondly,
the large, substantial and valuable properties consisting of basement
and four or five storeys such as are found in Colville Square, Colville
Gardens, Powis Square and Colville Terrace. Thirdly, the threestoried
and basement terraced properties in Lonsdale Road which are
not so substantial as the previous type but still seem to be worth
preserving.
All the properties in the area have been surveyed and every
endeavour is being made to persuade owners to improve their properties,
where possible by converting into self-contained dwellings with the
aid of the increased grants now available.
Progress has not been as rapid as had been hoped originally,
but in the past twelve months there has been a slow but steady
movement in the general improvement of the whole area. Work on the
conversion of one block of nine substantial properties has progressed
during the year and a number of other conversions are in progress
as anticipated. It is probable that where no action is taken by owners
to bring their properties up to a satisfactory standard, the Council
will have to rely upon their statutory powers under the Housing Acts to
secure repairs and improvements.
Qualification Certificates
The following shows the number of applications for qualification
certificates dealt with during the year -
Applications under section 44(1) - to provide amenities
Applications received 485
Qualification Certificates issued 155
Qualification Certificates refused 97
Applications under section 44(2) - amenities provided
Applications received 32
Provisional Certificates issued 23
Provisional Certificates refused Nil
Qualification Certificates issued 1
There were 233 applications under section 44(1) still outstanding
at the end of the year. The majority of these related to one large block
of flats where the applications were submitted in November. Items of
disrepair were found in most of the flats when they were inspected and
the owners were therefore given an opportunity of remedying these defects
so that the Council could issue qualification certificates in due course.