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116
In the past, a number of areas have been dealt with voluntarily by
the Duchy of Cornwall and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners within
the Borough of Lambeth, without troubling to set in motion the
cumbersome, dilatory, expensive, and otherwise unsatisfactory
machinery provided in the 1890 Housing of the Working Classes Act
(Part I). As an example, mention need only be made of(1) Salutation
Place, Peers Cooperage, Cornwall Mews, Legrand Place—known as the
Stamford Street area; or (2) Regency flace and Square, Diamond
Buildings, Cupar Cottages, White Hart Square, Robert Raikes Street,
and White Hart Street—known as the Robert Raikes Street and White
Hart Street area; or (3) Cardigan Street, Courtenay Street and
Courtenay Square, Newburn Street and Sancroft Street— known as the
Courtenay Street and Cardigan Street area; or (4) Caffyn (formerly
New) Street, Gray Street, Ufford Street, Short Street, Webber Street,
etc.—known as the New Cut area; or (5) Monkton Street, including
Bird, Bywell, Longhope, Strewan, Trowes, and Fram Places—known
as the Monkton Street area. All these areas have been practically
cleared and re-construction (improvement) Schemes carried out in
connection therewith.
Those of the members of the present Council who have worked as
long in Lambeth as the present Medical Officer of Health are aware
of the great changes that have taken place in consequence of these
private improvements, although it must be mentioned that, with the
exception of the New Cut and Courtenay and Cardigan Streets areas,
dwelling-houses for the working classes have not been provided on the
sites when cleared, but, instead, large business houses or Government
buildings. It must be remembered that the Duchy of Cornwall is outside
the Housing Acts.
In conclusion, the Medical Officer of Health draws the attention
of the Borough Council to the Ministry of Health's official pronouncement
as set out in the Ministry's Manual on Unfit Houses and Unhealthy
Areas (Vol. 1), wherein it is very definitely stated that the
present time is not suitable for area condemnation by representation,
on account of the difficulties connected with the re-housing of displaced
tenants, and that, consequently, Local Authorities should not undertake
measures which involve such displacing of tenants out of their
present houses, defective even though those houses may be, until new