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CHAPTER XXVII.
HOUSING.
The powers of the Council with respect to the housing of the working classes are derived from
the Housing Acts, 1890 to 1919, and questions relating thereto are considered by the Housing Committee.
Apart from administrative duties the main divisions of the Council's housing work consist
of (a) the provision of new dwellings to meet the need for additional accommodation, and (b) the
improvement or reconstruction of unhealthy areas, including the provision of dwellings for rehousing
the persons displaced.
Powers and
duties of the
Council.
Rent
restrictions.
In view of the special conditions brought about by the war affecting the provision and letting
of housing accommodation Parliament, in order to obviate undue hardships to tenants, passed legislation
in 1915 and 1919, temporarily suspending the rights of landlords to resume possession of low rented
dwelling houses and tenements and to raise the rents thereof, except to cover the amount of increase
in rates. Under the Increase of Rent, etc. (Restrictions) Act, 1920, tenants of dwellings of a rental
value (in the metropolitan police district) not exceeding £105 a year, are secured in their tenancies,
except in certain circumstances, until March, 1923, and increases of rent are restricted to 40 per cent,
of the net rent in August, 1914, of which 30 per cent, could be levied one month after the passing of the
Act in July, 1920, and the remaining 10 per cent, after one year. The Act does not apply to houses
erected after 2nd April, 1919.
Outline
housing
scheme.
In conformity with Section 1 (1) of the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1919, the Council
submitted for the approval of the Minister of Health a scheme for the provision of dwellings for the County
and for the improvement of the housing conditions therein. The heads of the scheme as finally approved
are as follows :—
(a) The Council shall provide within a period of five years not fewer than 29,000 new dwellings,
with accommodation for approximately 145,000 persons, by the development of lands under Part III.
of the Act of 1890. Not fewer, if possible, than 10,000 of these dwellings, with accommodation for about
50,000 persons, shall be completed within two years.
(b) The undermentioned estates shall be developed for the purposes of the scheme, viz. :—
(i.) The remainder of the Old Oak estate, Hammersmith, about 32 acres in extent, by the
erection of about 680 houses.
(ii) The remainder of the Norbury estate, Croydon, about 11 acres in extent, by the erection
of about 220 houses.
(iii) A section of the White Hart Lane estate, Tottenham and Wood Green, about 57
acres in extent, by the erection of about 680 houses.
(iv) 97 acres or thereabouts out of the 147 acres of land on the Roehampton estate, for
the erection of about 1,200 houses.
(v.) 176 acres or thereabouts of a site of about 250 acres at Bellingham in the metropolitan
borough of Lewisham, for the erection of about 2.000 houses.
(vi) The whole or part of a site about 2,000 acres in extent at Becontree near Dagenham,
Essex, for the erection of over 20,000 houses.
(vii) A site or sites at Grove Park, Lewisham and Bromley, with an area of 500 to 600
acres, for the erection of about 5,000 houses.
(viii) A site at Castelnau, Barnes, with an area of 50 to 70 acres, for the erection of about
700 to 1,000 houses.
(c) Dwellings shall be provided to accommodate not fewer than 1,960 persons in fulfilment of
the rehousing obligation under the London (Tabard-street, Grotto-place and Crosby-row) Improvement
Scheme, 1910, under Part I. of the Housing Act of 1890.
(d) A scheme under Part II. of the Housing Act of 1890, for the clearance of the Brady-street
area, Bethnal Green, including the provision of dwellings for rehousing persons displaced shall be carried
out.
(e) Immediate action shall be taken under Parts I. and II. of the Housing Act of 1890 to facilitate
the clearance of the worst of the insanitary areas in the county, with an estimated population of 40,000,
provision being made for new accommodation in lieu of that destroyed.
The scheme was accepted by the Minister on 17th January, 1920, as ranking for State financial
assistance in so far as it might be carried out within five years from the passing of the Housing, Town
Planning, etc., Act, 1919, or within such further period as the Minister might allow in view of difficulties
arising in connection with labour or materials or from other circumstances beyond the Council's control.
The Minister's approval was further subject to a review within two years of the adequacy of the proposals.
Good progress was made during 1920, with the development operations outlined in the scheme.
A great deal of preliminary work had to be carried out before building operations could be proceeded
with on a large scale, but at the end of the year 270 houses had been completed and 1,500 others were in
various stages of construction. The number of men engaged was about 3,500 in December, 1920, and
was rapidly being increased as the work of organisation developed. Delay occurred owing to shortage
of skilled workmen, especially bricklayers, and at the end of 1920, a considerable number of additional
bricklayers could have been employed on the contracts had they been available. The difficulty is being
overcome to a large extent by the adoption of forms of concrete construction in lieu of brick.
Particulars are given later of the new works in hand.
Old Oak
estate.
Roads and sewers were constructed before the war on the remainder (32 acres) of the Old Oak
estate, Hammersmith, and at the beginning of 1920, two contracts for the erection of 221 houses and two