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however, housing has always been given a high degree of priority,
a policy which started with the conversion into flats of a number
of large houses in Blackheath acquired under the Housing and
Town Planning Act in 1919. This was followed by the purchase
for housing of Page's Estate (previously known as Eltham Estate)
and an area in Charlton known as 'Hanging Wood Lane'. Gradually
other sites such as Charlton Park, Middle Park, Horn Park, Cherry
Orchard, Victoria Way, Timbercroft Lane and Woodlands Estate,
etc., were acquired and development proceeded until halted by the
second World War in 1939. By this time, 14,474 dwellings had
been erected in the Borough since the year 1919, 9,648 in the Woolwich
area and 4,826 in Greenwich and, of this total, the local
authority had been responsible for 5,891. Of the remainder, the
majority were built in accordance with private enterprise plans
although from 1934 the London County Council had also been
operating housing schemes within the Borough boundaries.
During the second World War, when new building had necessarily
ceased, the Borough suffered heavily from bomb damage
and destruction of its residential areas. Requisitioning of property
became imperative in order to resolve the serious housing problems
thereby arising and in this respect over 3,000 units of accommodation
were so acquired.
Following the war, the respective local authorities immediately
proceeded to plan and organise housing programmes to meet residents'
needs, and, as first priority, arranged for the erection in the
Borough of 1,801 Emergency Factory Made Bungalows (later to
become known as 'pre-fabs'). Meanwhile, traditional building began
and continued apace and work on the completion of 2 pre-war
estates was commenced in December, 1945, in accordance with
modernised plans. By the end of 1947, 112 flats and 48 houses
had been erected and occupied at Cherry Orchard and the construction
of a further 24 houses at Marlborough Lane and 24 old
people's flat at East Mascalls was well under way. Other schemes,
including the Coldharbour Estate which was begun in the same
year, were advancing rapidly and Borough residents were reaping
the rewards of the foresight shown by the authorities. Substantial
support to these efforts was forthcoming from the London County
Council which was developing estates in this area. In April, 1965,
at the inauguration of the new Borough, nearly 15,500 dwellings of
all types came into the control of the Council.
Supplies of building land which, until recently, had been fairly
readily available especially in the Woolwich area, became exhausted
and, with the exception of the Plumstead Marshes Scheme (a
project actively pursued by the Greater London Council for the
accommodation of 60,000 persons over a period of 15 years), new