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89
The Council's proposal to make its first smoke control area in the
Ladywell part of the borough was formally objected to by one householder.
As a result the Minister held a Public Inquiry in August 1958
but nevertheless confirmed the Order, the only modification being that
the date it became operative was postponed from May 30, 1959
to September 1, 1959.
As a result of the experience gained in the first few areas of the
Borough it was decided to foreshorten the programme to bring the
whole of the Borough's area under Smoke Control Orders by 1965
instead of 1968 as originally planned. As can be seen from the table
published on page 21 of this report there is no doubt now that the task
will be accomplished by the earlier date, a fact that reflects great credit
upon all concerned with the work.
Housing
In 1922 the Medical Officer of Health felt obliged to say that "The
shortage of proper housing accommodation in the Borough is very acute
and this fact is almost daily brought to our notice, while many incidents
of serious overcrowding are seen for which there is no available remedy
under present conditions." "The Bellingham Estate erected by the
London County Council although containing over two thousand
dwellings, has afforded but little relief to this Borough, as only a small
proportion of the homes were allotted to Lewisham residents."
Dealing with this subject again in 1923 the doctor said,
"We receive a large number of applications for vacancies on the
Bellingham Estate from residents of this Borough, who are not aware of
the fact that it is by mere accident that these houses were erected within
this Borough, and that they are for the benefit of London people generally
Lewisham applicants obtaining only a small proportion of tenancies.
The London County Council is now proceeding with the development
of the Downham Estate, on the southern boundary of the Borough,
on which it is proposed to erect about 2000 houses."
"As a result of house-to-house inspection of working-class dwellings
in the Borough, we find that many houses originally occupied by one
family only are now occupied by two families or more."
"In many instances where a family has been in occupation of a
three-roomed tenement for some years, it was found they had outgrown
the accommodation owing to the increase in number of the family, while
the advance in the age of children of different sex, or the number in
occupation, made a reasonable standard of health, comfort and morality
impossible."
"It was also found that where two or more families were occupying
a house, the sanitary conveniences, facilities for washing, water supply,
provision of food storage and disposal of house refuse were inadequate,
with the result that closets were found choked, refuse deposited over
the yard, and the rooms generally dirty and dilapidated."