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65
Lighting of staircases in tenement buildings.—The L.C.C. (General
Powers) Act, 1927 (Sec. 61), provides that every tenement building shall,
wherever practicable, be provided with adequate means of natural
and artificial lighting, and those constructed after the commencement of
the Act with windows to the external air at each storey.
At a meeting of the Metropolitan Boroughs Standing Joint Committee
some doubt was expressed as to whether the definition of tenement buildings
included buildings other than blocks of industrial dwellings, but the
County Council pointed out that the definition included buildings constructed
or reconstructed so as to comprise two or more separate or selfcontained
flats or tenements intended or used for occupation by the
working classes.
An arrangement was suggested by the Standing Joint Committee and
approved by the County Council whereby the District Surveyors will
notify the Borough Councils of new buildings coming within the provisions
of this section. The Borough Councils in return will notify the District
Surveyors of any works involving structural alterations to existing
buildings, which under the section Borough Councils may call upon the
owners to carry out.
During the year, the Sanitary Inspectors reported four cases of
inadequate artificial lighting of staircases in tenement buildings. The
owners of the premises were notified of the requirements of the Act, and
the necessary means of lighting was duly provided in each case.
Houses divided into separate tenements.—At the request of the London
County Council, the Metropolitan Boroughs Standing Joint Committee
considered the question as to whether the suspensory provisions of the
by-laws relating to houses of this class should cease to have effect as
regards houses which become decontrolled under the provisions of the Rent
Restriction Acts, and the Committee invited the observations of the City
Council.
The Public Health Committee considered a report of the Medical
Officer of Health on the subject, and expressed the view that the time was
not opportune for bringing into operation by-laws 8, 13, and 17, but that
it would be desirable if steps were taken to bring into operation in the case
of decontrolled houses the provisions of by-laws 18, 20 and 25. The
first-mentioned by-laws relate to increased amount of air space in rooms
used for sleeping purposes, ventilation of passages and staircases, watercloset
accommodation, and accommodation for washing of clothes and
for storage, preparation and cooking of food. Those which it was
suggested should be brought into operation relate to adequate lighting
of common staircases, the securing of adequate stability of the structure
a nd the paving of courts and courtyards of lodging-houses.