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'unless such trap is provided with an air-inlet' be added,
as it is somtimes desirable to disconnect soil-pipes from
the drains and to ventilate the drains separately."
In June, 1897, I submitted to you the following Special
Report on Open Spaces about buildings:—
"I have considered the Report made by Dr. Sykes to
the Health Committee of the Vestry of St. Pancras, and
referred to me for consideration and report, and I now
beg to report as follows:—
As Dr. Sykes points out, by Section 29 of the Metropolis
Building Act, 1855, it was provided that at the rear
or side of any dwelling-house (unless all the rooms can be
lighted and ventilated from a street or alley adjoining),
an open space of at least 100 square feet, exclusively
belonging to that building, should be left unbuilt over.
By Section 14 of the Metropolis Management and
Building Acts (Amendment) Act, 1882, a space of 150
square feet or more, up to 450 square feet, was required,
but the open space might be entirely covered in up to the level
of the ceiling of the ground floor storey.
In the London Building Act, 1894, Section 41 (2),
it is provided that in new houses, abutting upon old
streets, the open space to be provided may be entirely
covered in up to the level of 16 feet above the adjoining
pavement, and this applies to all London streets existing
when the Act came in force in 1895.
You will thus see that the Legislature has, apparently
deliberately, gradually sanctioned more and more the
covering in of open spaces, so that there is now nothing
to prevent the areas on which houses are built being
entirely covered to the height of 16 feet above the ground
level, that is to say, there need be no open areas to
the basement, nor to the ground floor, nor perhaps,