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l0d. to 2s. l0d. a week for larger rooms, with 1s. for additional amenities, such as bath, hot-water supply,
larger larder, and a coal store. These additions resulted in net weekly rents, exclusive of rates, as follows :
for each type of tenement, viz.:- Two rooms (living room and one bedroom), 1ls.; three rooms (living
room and two bedrooms), 13s. 6d.; four rooms (living room and three bedrooms), 15s. 6d.; five rooms
(living room and four bedrooms). 17s. These typical rents are subject to variation in such cases as may
be determined on account of position or other special amenities. The Council decided on 28th July, 1920,
that, as the properties acquired under the scheme and held temporarily pending demolition were included
in areas condemned under the Housing Acts as insanitary, it would not, under the Increase of Rent,
etc. (Restrictions) Act, 1920, increase the standard rents of such properties.
On 4th April, 1912, the medical officer of health of Bethnal Green made an official representation
to the Council under Part I. of the Act of 1890, with respect to the Brady-street area of about seven acres.
On 29th July, 1913, the Council decided that it was not then prepared to undertake the scheme.
Subsequently, on 24th October, 1913, a local inquiry was held by the Local Government Board, and,
after considerable correspondence, the Board, on 22nd September, 1914, made an Order requiring the
Council to deal with portions of the area under Part II. of the Act. The Council decided on 23rd February.
1915, to carry out the Order by two successive schemes, but the restrictions imposed by the Government
on expenditure during the war prevented any action being taken. The matter was reconsidered in
1919, and proposals were submitted to the Board for carrying out a scheme to deal with the area included
in the Order of 1914, in co-operation with Mann, Grossman and Paulin, Ltd., as owners of a substantial
part of the area. These proposals were strongly opposed by the local authority, and the Minister of
Health, who had, in the meantime, succeeded the Local Government Board, was of opinion that under
the conditions then prevailing a more comprehensive scheme was necessary. He was, moreover, not
prepared to agree to the proposed arrangement with the company. Having regard to the views expressed
by the Minister the Council on 10th February, 1920, decided to make a revised scheme to include
additional property indicated by the Minister, all the property thus proposed to be dealt with being
included in the original representation made in 1912. The revised scheme involved the displacement
of about 1,875 persons of the working-classes, and the Council had in view the rehousing on the cleared
area, or in the vicinity, of a number of persons approximating to the number to be displaced. In view of
the necessity for providing in the first place a substantial measure of rehousing accommodation to enable
the work of demolition to be commenced, provision was included in the scheme to enable the Council
to acquire a site belonging to the Great Eastern Railway Company on the west side of Brady-street
upon which it would be possible to erect dwellings three storeys in height capable of accommodating about
200 persons. The Council also decided to appropriate for rehousing purposes in connection with the
scheme a plot of land in Goldsmith's-row, about a mile distant, for the crection of a five-storey building
to accommodate about 100 persons. Accommodation in three-storey dwellings can be provided on
the cleared area for 1,500 persons which, with the accommodation on the land to be acquired from the
railway company and on the Goldsmith's-row site, makes a total provision for rehousing not less than
1,800 persons as compared with an estimated displacement of 1,875 persons. The cost of carrying
the revised scheme into effect, including the acquisition of property on the area and the two rehousing
sites outside the area, and the laying out of streets, etc., but excluding the erection of dwellings, is
estimated at £101,000.
Bradystreet
area
Ware-street
area.
A local inquiry on the scheme as amended was held on 1st June, 1920, and the decision of the
Minister of Health is now awaited.
An official representation under Part I. of the Housing Act of 1890, was made to the Council on
6th August, 1919, by the medical officer of health of Shoreditch, with regard to an area known as the
Ware-street area, Hoxton. The area, as represented, comprised 580 houses, but the Council thought
that certain of these should be omitted. On 4th May, 1920, the Council decided to make a scheme for
the clearance of part of the represented area about 9¼ acres in extent, comprising 386 dwelling houses,
including 3 fully licensed public [houses and one beer-house and a few premises used for commercial
purposes. The displacement of 2,648 persons of the working classes is involved, and it is proposed to
provide rehousing accommodation on the cleared area for a minimum of 2,550 persons. The cost of
acquiring the property is estimated at £70,000 and of constructing roads and other works at £23,500,
making a total estimated expenditure of £93,500, exclusive of the cost of erecting new dwellings on the
area, The scheme was duly submitted to the Minister of Health for confirmation and a local inquiry
with regard thereto was held on 18th and 19th November. 1920.
Bell-lane
and Ellenstreet
areas.
Official representations under Part I. of the Housing Act of 1890, were made to the Council by the
medical officer of health of Stepney, on 2nd December and 6th August, 1919, respectively, with reference
to two insanitary areas known as the Bell-lane area, Spitalfields, and the Ellen-street area, St. George-inthe-East.
The Bell-lane area, lying between Commercial-street, Wentworth-street, Bell-lane and Butlerstreet,
is about 4¼ acres in extent and comprises 248 houses in addition to a few stables and commercial
premises ; the number of persons of the working classes in occupation is estimated at 1,284. The
Ellen-street area comprises about 1¼ acres, within the quadrilateral formed by Ellen-street, Boydstreet,
Berner-street and Backchurch-lane, and contains 112 dwelling houses (including one beer house)
with an estimated working class population of 568. On 18th May, 1920, the Council decided
to make one scheme for dealing with the two areas as represented, the combined scheme to provide for
the erection of dwellings to accommodate not less than 1,230 persons of the working classes, or approximately
two-thirds of the number to be displaced. It is not possible to make a larger provision for
rehousing on the cleared areas, and there is no other building land available in the vicinity. The
deficiency in accommodation thus created will be made good by the provision of houses in other districts
in connection with the various schemes undertaken by the Council under Part III. of the Housing Act
61004 s