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1935]
64
CHURCH LANE CLEARANCE AREA.
In the Annual Report of the Medical Officer of Health for 1934 reference was
made to the decantation of 391 persons from this area to Wakelin House. In that
year 17 houses and shop premises were demolished, the remaining 36 houses being
dealt with in 1935.
PART I. HOUSING ACT, 1930.
The representations by the Medical Officer of Health to the Housing Committee
of ten small clearance areas under Part I. of the Act are still under
consideration.
HOUSING ACT, 1925-1935—UNDERGROUND ROOMS.
The work of the four temporary Sanitary Inspectors who had been appointed
for the survey of underground rooms was continued throughout the year. 8,273
inspections were made, 1,975 rooms found to be used for sleeping purposes, 433 of
these being overcrowded; the remainder were used for living purposes only.
The total number of inspections made since the commencement of the work in
October, 1934, is 10,874; of these, 2,875 were found to be used for sleeping purposes,
and 553 occupied in an overcrowded condition.
Before a closing order was made prohibiting the use of an underground room
for sleeping purposes, the Housing Committee summoned all interested persons to
appear before them, and in 32 cases an undertaking was given by the person
having control that the room would not be used for sleeping purposes, and in 105
cases closing orders were made. In consequence of the regulations governing
such rooms being satisfactorily complied with, the Council determined 7 closing
orders and cancelled 4 undertakings.
Section 84 of the Housing Act, 1935, which came into foive on the 2nd August,
removes the term " used for sleeping purposes "from section 18 of the Housing
Act, 1925, so that now all basement rooms which do not comply with the regulations
made by the Council under the latter enactment governing such rooms are
deemed unfit for human habitation.
DEMOLITION ORDERS.
Demolition Orders were made in respect of 38 and 40, Wedmore Street, and
1, 2, 3 and 4, Webb's Cottages. The two houses in Wedmore Street were
demolished and the site absorbed by the extension of an adjacent factory.
RECONDITIONING OF HOUSES.
The Medical Officer of Health reported on the unfitness for human habitation
by reason of disrepair of Nos. 2 and 4, Mayville Street, with a view to a demolition
order being made, and at a subsequent meeting of the Housing Committee, to
which the person having control was summoned to appear, a representative of the
owner gave an undertaking to recondition the premises and render them fit for
human habitation ; this undertaking was accepted by the Committee and the repairs
effected.
HOUSING ACT, 1930.
119 dwelling houses were the subject of informal notices requiring owners to
effect repairs, and during the year in 115 of these the repairs were satisfactorily
carried out. It was found necessary to serve formal notices in 10 cases only, these
premises being:—40, Cumberland Street, 109, Petherton Road, 34, Nicholay Road,
431, Caledonian Road, 1, Lyon Street 19, Freeling Street, 21, Freeling Street, 16,
Hanley Road, 31, Scholefield Road, and 11, Brunswick Street.
No case arose under Section 18 of the Act requiring the local authority to effect
repairs in default of compliance with a notice under Section 17.