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the home and its influence, a situation for which television is hardly
the panacea. In old established urban areas this may not be too
great a problem but in newly built up areas where few social
amenities exist and there is no community background, the effect,
especially on the young, is most marked. In this context much can
be said for a somewhat less spacious or spectacular dwelling with
an area of garden private to each individual family.
Naturally everyone's particular and personal housing needs
cannot be met in full in any local authority's housing programme,
for decisions are dependent on so many factors ; nevertheless, within
certain limits it should be possible for attention to be afforded to
some preferences in order to avoid a future legacy of social and
perhaps mental instability.
In addition to the problems of increasing population and
shortage of " housing space" there is that of finance. In this
instance the Town and Country Planning Act, 1959, has added to
these difficulties now that local authorities, on acquiring land for
housing purposes, must pay compensation on a basis of " open
market price " as opposed to the previous " existing use " value.
This Act, introduced to provide owners with a more equitable
settlement, nevertheless adds to the strain on local government
resources
However, the government, in furthering a policy of encouraging
home ownership, of raising housing standards and of increasing
emphasis on slum clearance, introduced additional legislation in the
shape of the House Purchase and Housing Act, 1959, parts of
which are paraphrased below.
It is of interest to recall that on 7th December of this year,
after being welcomed by the Mayor of Greenwich, Councillor
L. C. Green. J.P., the Minister of Housing. Mr. Henry Brooke. M.P.
proceeded to Blackheath to declare open the millionth privately
built house since the war. This dwelling incidentally was No. 16.
Corner Green. Blackheath. S.E.3.
Legislation.—House Purchase and Housing Act, 1959.
Briefly this Act, operative from the 14th June, provided inter alia,
for Exchequer grants to and deposit of trust funds with certain
designated building societies to enable them to make more and
bigger loans (up to 95%) for the purchase and improvement of
pre-1919 houses up to a value of £3,000 in the London area. Provisions
enabled such societies also to advance loans to cover the
owner's share of the cost of carrying out to older properties, improvements
attracting grants under the Act.