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77
Authority) before any application for planning permission involving
change of use of premises from use as a dwelling, is determined.
Such consultations are designed to prevent any unnecessary aggravation
of the housing situation by the encroachment of business
premises into residential property.
Housing Survey.—Through the courtesy of Mr. F. H. Dore,
the Housing Manager, the following extracts are quoted from his
observations on the housing position in 1954 :—
" Last year, I referred to the effect of the shortage of further
sites for housing development which resulted in a marked drop in
the rate of rehousing of families from the waiting list. The trend
has continued and this year only 140 families were rehoused compared
with 184 in 1953. The number of transfers as between the
various types of properties controlled by the Council also dropped
and was only 102 compared with 183 in 1953. The reason for this
reduction in lettings activity is the fact that only 38 new properties
were handed over for letting during the year and 39 dwellings were
lost, due to either derequisitioning or the demolition of the curved
type hutments, the net result being that at the end of the year the
Council controlled almost the same number of dwellings as at the
1st January, 1953.
In view of this difficult position, continued encouragement has
been given to tenants to try to solve their problems by way of mutual
exchanges, and it is gratifying to know that 52 exchanges were
arranged during the year against 37 in 1953. This meant that at
least 104 families solved their housing problems in this way.
The number of families on the waiting list increased during the
year from 2,539 to 2,861.
In my notes last year, I referred to the introduction of the
Industrial Selection Scheme for the transfer of families from London
to the new and expanded towns. This scheme has now been in
operation for a full year, and during that period I have been notified
of the moves of 32 families from Greenwich to these other towns.
Of these, 13 were applicants registered with this Council, and one
was an occupier of a requisitioned property. It is to be hoped that
further progress will be made in the operation of this Scheme since
the rehousing of families in these towns is a real contribution in
dealing with the housing problem."