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220
With regard to the other dwellings in Poplar authorised to be
acquired by the County Council, I am to state that the Board will
hold a public local inquiry into the Council's application.
I am, Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
A. B. Symonds,
The Town Clerk, Assistant Secretary.
Metropolitan Borough of Poplar.
As a result of the Inquiry held 25th May, 1914, by a Local Government
Board Inspector into the application of the London County Council
that the Council should be relieved of its liability to re-house the persons
to be displaced by the School Extension Schemes in Poplar, the Board
decided that a scheme for the provision of housing accommodation for
750 persons was necessary, and that a substantial part of this accommodation
should be provided in the neighbourhood of the East and West
India Docks.
The Housing Committee of the London County Council reported
to the Local Government Board under date 31st July, as follows:—
" The Committee have for some time past been searching for
building sites which might be suitable for the provision of housing
accommodation for the persons of the working class to be displaced
in this district. Certain sites in the Borough of Poplar itself were
considered, but upon estimates of the financial results being prepared
the deficiency was found to be so considerable in every case that the
Committee were unable to entertain any proposal for a building
scheme. Moreover, there is very little vacant land in Poplar, and,
if it were possible to find a suitable housing site in that Borough it
would probably be necessary to build block dwellings, a type of
building which the Committee are averse from recommending the
Council to erect if it can possibly be avoided.
The most suitable of the sites which have been brought to the
notice of the Committee consist of 11 plots of surplus land comprising
4.89 acres belonging to the Council in Tunnel Avenue and
Blackwall Lane, East Greenwich. The majority of these plots,
which are shown by purple colour on the accompanying map, are
situated quite close to the entrance to Blackwall Tunnel which
affords convenient access both to the East and West India Docks.
From the preliminary scheme of development which has been
prepared it appears that accommodation can be provided on this
land, as follows;—