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91
Vandon Street. The Medical Officer of Health on the 27th November
received a request signed by four ratepayers to " make an official
representation to the City Council in respect of Horse Shoe Alley in
accordance with sub-section 2 of section 51 of the 1930 Housing Act."
These houses were referred to in reports made by the Medical Officer
of Health to the Public Health and Housing Committees in May and
October, 1930, with regard to small areas of working-class houses occupying
valuable sites and which, though not slum areas, were nearing the
end of their useful existence.
Since those reports were made, some of the houses in and adjoining
Horse Shoe Alley became dangerous and were the subject of dangerous
structure notices by the District Surveyor. These houses were vacated
and partly demolished. This partial demolition seriously affected the
remaining houses, and the Medical Officer of Health accordingly made
representation to the City Council on the 7th December that the houses
in Horse Shoe Alley and those houses adjoining each end of Horse Shoe
Alley in Vandon Street and Petty France (21 in all) were by reason of
disrepair or sanitary defects unfit for human habitation and that the
area should be dealt with as a " clearance area," as provided by the
Housing Act, 1930.
(Negotiations are taking place between the owners and the City
Council whereby some arrangement may be made for the rehousing of
the occupants (19 families) and the subsequent demolition of all the
houses.)
Underground, Rooms.—It was reported last year that some 221 basements
were separately occupied as dwellings. Of this number 36 were
occupied contrary to the provisions of section 96 of the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891.
Special attention has been paid during the year to underground
dwellings separately occupied as such and to sleeping rooms in basements.
Other illegally occupied underground dwellings were discovered numbering
22 and 47 sleeping rooms which did not meet the requirements of the
Council's regulations as to sleeping places were recorded. Of these
numbers, eight families have been rehoused by the City Council, one
on a London County Council Estate, and arrangements were made by the
officers of the Department whereby four families were provided with
accommodation on other housing estates.
Underground rooms at 33 houses, in addition, have ceased to be
illegally occupied ; 14 as separate dwellings and 19 as illegal underground
sleeping rooms.
(6862) G 2