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95
Underground Rooms—The Council's powers to close underground
rooms were originally provided by Section 12 of the Housing
Act, 1936, but in a Judgement of May 1957, the Court of Appeal
took the view that as a result of the Housing Repairs and Rents Act,
1954. the exercise of these powers had become subject to the
application of the general standards of fitness itemised in Section
4 of the Housing Act, 1957. Underground room regulations previously
made by local authorities under Section 12(2)(b) of the
1936 Act therefore became virtually ineffectual.
This legal interpretation deprived local authorities of a simple,
quick and effective means of obtaining the closure of unhealthy
underground rooms and representations made to the Minister of
Housing and Local Government indicating the restricting nature of
the recent legislation resulted in the Housing (Underground
Rooms) Act, 1959, which restored the former position.
Slum Clearance.— Under Part III of the Housing Act, 1936, two
sites comprising some 78 dwellings in the Haddo Street and Norman
Road areas were represented for slum clearance and received the
Minister's approval by the latter end of 1957. Persons resident in
these areas are now being rehoused and their dwellings demolished,
and it is expected that the erection on the site of 164 dwellings
will commence sometime during 1961.
Redevelopment.— A number of houses which would have been
included in the Council's slum clearance schemes have already been
dealt with by the Trustees of the Morden College Estate in their
own redevelopment schemes. Since the war, some 45 houses and
a number of prefabricated dwellings have been demolished and the
following list indicates new accommodation provided under their
auspices :—
Banning Street 2 dwellings.
Bellot Street 20 dwellings.
*Christchurch Way 28 dwellings.
Derwent Street 8 dwellings.
Kossuth Street 11 dwellings.
† Point Close22 dwellings
and 12 garages.
*Ground floor flats provided for elderly people with maisonettes
above.
tService flats for upper income groups.
House Purchase and Housing Acts, 1958 and 1959.—
Improvement Grants.—Section 20 of the Housing Act, 1949, as
modified by Section 16 of the Housing Repairs and Rents Act,
1954, empowering local authorities to make grants to private owners