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103
areas, the lack of play space for children is serious yet car parks
far exceed the number of playgrounds and, although new housing
schemes must include a proportionate space for the parking of
cars, there is no such legislation for play.
Again, we are told that the multi-storey dwelling is now an
indispensable part of the modern urban housing scheme, but scant
attention is paid to the mental strain occasioned to mothers who,
living in accommodation above say the 5th floor, are more than
concerned for the safety of their young children. The hazards to
children of lifts, stairs and windows at that height, lack of facilities
for play in the immediate vicinity of the dwelling under the eye
of the mother, the inadvisability of children to indulge in any hobby
that is noisy and likely to be a nuisance to occupants of flats above
and below thus tending to lead to bad neighbour relationships,
the reluctance of tradesmen to deliver goods to storied dwellings,
necessitating greater thought on shopping lists, all militate against
the peace of mind of the parent. Are we sure that these matters
are given their full weight in the preparatory planning of housing
schemes?
Re-housing is now a social duty which is often and so easily
performed without heart or humanity. It is true to say that the
reply "I live on a council estate" to the question "where do you
live?" conjures up a particular kind of picture in most people's
minds.
Experiences of housing schemes such as Becontree at Dagenham,
Speke near Liverpool, Clifton at Nottingham, etc., have
shown that wider streets appear to foster only casual friendliness
whereas narrower streets and cul-de-sacs or "banjos" tend to closer
relationships. Planners often lose sight of the fact that shopping
in the old areas was "handy" and the pub was just round the
corner, whereas in the newer schemes such facilities are often very
distant to most inhabitants. These and other points, small in
themselves, have a tendency to divide rather than unite a community
and make the work of the social and health worker a great
deal more difficult than it need be. Earlier mistakes in planning
are doubtless being corrected, nevertheless there is a crying need
for housing estates to be planned and erected not so much in
accordance with clinical architectural accuracy but more as looselyknit
communities with due regard to the human implications.
In his Circular 12/62, the Minister of Housing and Local
Government drew attention to the excellent work in the field of
housing by Housing Associations and pointed out the wider opportunities afforded to local authorities under the Housing Act, 1961,
to give these associations even greater assistance.