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8
Post-War Housing Programme.
In accordance with the Ministry of Health's housing circular of the
4th March, 1943, the Housing Committee has energetically directed a
programme to enable the Council to start on one or two years' building
work as soon as conditions permit and they are authorised to do so.
Various sites have been considered which will eventually provide
approximately 400 dwellings in this period.
So far the following proposals have been made :—
Proposed
number of
dwellings.
(i) Sites already held by the Council for housing
purposes :—
(a) Garnett Road (partly constructed and used
for shelter purposes) 22
(b) New End area (also used for 2 large surface 24
shelters) (and 3 shops)
(ii) Sites not held by the Council:—
(a) Parkhill Road and Upper Park Road 100
(Compulsory Purchase Order confirmed by
the Minister of Health.)
(b) New End Square and Well Walk 68
(Compulsory Purchase Order made by
Council. This scheme was subsequently
the subject of an Inquiry by the Minister
of Health).
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Also it has been suggested to the London County Council that they
should proceed with the Kilburn Vale housing proposals in their first
year's programme. This will provide 114 additional dwellings—a
proportion only of which will be allocated to Hampstead families.
Inadequately Housed Persons.
During 1944 and the closing months of 1943, 397 applications were
received by me from persons inadequately housed for accommodation
in requisitioned property under the procedure outlined in Ministry of
Health Circular 2845. Had not the advent of flying-bombs resulted in
a large-scale evacuation from the Borough many more applications for
accommodation would have been received (and indeed are being received
in a veritable flood as this report is in preparation).
A few families were offered accommodation, but air raids early in 1944
and flying-bomb attacks which subsequently developed rapidly resulted
in a worsening of the housing situation, and lettings to persons other than
those rendered homeless by enemy action were abandoned and have not
been resumed. Furthermore, in my opinion, the machinery of Circular
2845 is incapable of dealing with the desperate housing situation of the
present time. More definite powers of requisitioning are required before
it will be possible to utilise the many empty properties in the Borough.