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105
Housing.
The housing activities of the Council have proceeded satisfactorily
during the year and the standards of previous years have
been well maintained.
Housing Act, 1935.
The Housing Act, 1935, which received the Royal Assent on
the 2nd August, gives additional powers and imposes new duties on
local authorities. It is not practicable to deal with the Act in detail
in this Report, but the following notes will indicate briefly the main
points which affect the Council.
Clearance Areas.—The Act amends previous legislation as to
the classes of property which may be included in an area ; abolishes
the reduction factor which hitherto applied to the price to be paid
for land forming an area which is compulsorily acquired for rehousing
; enables the Minister to direct that compensation be paid
in respect of a house which, although rightly included in the area,
has, nevertheless, been well maintained ; permits compensation to
be paid in special cases, and allows land acquired under clearance
area procedure to be exchanged. It is necessary prior to the local
enquiry to provide an owner who objects to a clearance order with
a statement of the principal grounds for the inclusion of his house
in the area and, on confirmation of the Order, the Minister must, on
request, furnish such objector with a statement showing his reasons
for holding that a house is unfit.
Improvement Areas.—The provisions of the 1930 Housing Act
relating to Improvement Areas are repealed. Their place is taken
by provisions for " Redevelopment Areas " which consist partly of
houses which are unfit for human habitation, and partly of houses
which are overcrowded, or both.
Closing Orders.—These can now be made in respect of any part
of a building occupied or intended for occupation for habitation,
and not, as heretofore, a part let as a separate dwelling, and in
respect of an underground room which fails to comply with the
regulations, whether used for sleeping purposes or not.
Demolition Orders.—An owner must undertake to submit within
reasonable time any offer to carry out works he may desire to make.
Failure to do so will preclude him from submitting such an offer
to the Court in an appeal against a demolition order.
Redevelopment and Reconditioning by Owners.—An owner may
submit a voluntary offer to redevelop or recondition his property.
If his proposals are approved by the local authority such property