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44
Improvement Areas.—In the last report reference was made to the declaration by the London
County Council of an improvement area comprising 50 houses in Clarendon Street. Bye-laws with
respect thereto were made by the County Council on the 23rd January, 1934, and allowed by the
Minister of Health on the 27th March. These Bye-laws impose a high standard of requirements,
supplementing those enforceable under the Housing and Public Health Acts.
Before the owners of the houses were called upon to carry out any re-conditioning works it was
considered necessary that steps should be taken to secure the closure of basement rooms and the abatement
of overcrowding. The following figures show the extent of the operations in respect of these
matters:—
Basement Rooms.
Number closed aa unfit for human habitation—
In two-roomed tenements .. .. 66
In one-roomed tenements .. .. 9
Number closed for sleeping purposes only .. 11
Number found disused .. .. .. 12
Number found unoccupied or used in conjunction with above-ground rooms and
no action taken .. .. .. .. 12
Total .. 100
Number of persons found to be occupying basement rooms exclusively .. 163
Overcrowding.
Number of tenements found to be overcrowded .. 31
Number of persons found to be occupying overcrowded tenements .. 185
Housing accommodation for the families to be displaced was offered by the London County Council,
chiefly in flats on the Wormholt Estate. Such accommodation was accepted by 46 families, the
remaining 30 families finding accommodation through their own efforts.
Altogether 363 persons were displaced out of a total of 777 living in the area. Of the 363 persons,
256 were re-housed by the London County Council.
Following the removal of the persons referred to in the preceding paragraphs, notices were served
requiring the execution of repairs and re-decorations, and the provision of additional water-closets,
sinks, water supply, food storage, cooking accommodation, artificial lighting of staircases, etc.
Owing to the amount of work required to be done very few houses were completed before the close of
the year. A full account of the results achieved in this area must, therefore, be reserved for a future
report.
Houses Unfit for Habitation.—In addition to the basement rooms dealt with in the Clarendon
Street Improvements Area recorded above, action was taken with regard to similar rooms in 96 houses
in other parts of the Borough, 56 rooms being closed for human habitation and 84 for sleeping purposes
only. In lieu of making closing orders the Council, in 34 instances, after consultation with owners,
accepted undertakings from them as empowered by Section 19 (2) of the Housing Act, 1930. Such
undertakings possess the advantage of expediting procedure, whilst securing the closure of the parts
of the premises to which they refer as effectively as though closing orders had been made.
Undertakings that dwelling-houses or parts of dwelling-houses (other than basement rooms)
would not be used for human habitation, were also accepted with regard to 13 premises.
Underground Rooms.—The use of this term in this report is restricted to rooms dealt with under
Section 96 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891. Particulars of basement rooms in regard to which
action was taken under the Housing Act, 1930, will be found in the preceding paragraphs. During
the year special attention was given to the inspection of underground rooms which did not appear to
possess the requisites specified in the above-mentioned section and therefore could not lawfully be
occupied separately as dwellings. As a result of the inspections made, 145 underground rooms were
discovered which did not fulfil the conditions essential for separate occupation. Not only were occupied
rooms inspected for this purpose, but also any empty rooms which appeared to have been recently
occupied as separate tenements. In every case a communication was addressed to the owner either
calling upon him to terminate the unlawful occupation, or, where empty rooms were concerned, warning
him not to re-let them except in conjunction with a room or rooms on another floor of the same house.
In this way the illegal occupation of 131 of the 145 rooms above referred to was either terminated or
prevented. Further action will, if necessary, be taken during the current year with regard to the
remaining 14 rooms.
Tenement Houses.—The number of houses on the register at the close of the year was 1,416.
Inspections totalled 4,479, and legal proceedings were instituted with respect to nuisances or