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A clearance order was made by the Council in respect of the Ross
Street area on the 20th July, and the others will be dealt with when the
necessary alternative housing accommodation is available for the occupants.
1, Richards Cottages, Demolition Order.—Upon representation by the
Medical Officer of Health that this small dwelling house was in such a
state as to be unfit for human habitation, and not capable at a reasonable
expense of being rendered so fit, the Council on the 9th November ordered
its demolition.
This house was situated in a yard at the rear of houses in Douglas
Place and Rampayne Street and was included in the Douglas Place
area, one of four areas referred to above, reported to the Council in June
as areas which should be cleared.
Underground Rooms—Rehousing.—The number of underground rooms
found in illegal occupation was 90. Families rehoused from illegally
occupied basements during the year were as follows:—
By the City Council 17
By the L.C.C. 8
By other Housing Authorities or found accommodation
themselves 22
The existing law relating to underground rooms is based on the broad
principle that unless these rooms conform to certain standards they
should not form the only dwelling of a family. The Public Health Act
of 1S91 established the principle that they should not be separately
occupied, that is to say, those rooms, although not conforming to certain
sanitary requirements, could still be used for any or all dwelling purposes
so long as the occupant had another room in the house which did
conform and was in the same letting.
The Housing and Town Planning Act, 1909, went further and required
underground rooms habitually used as sleeping rooms to conform to
standards, certain of which were laid down in regulations to be made by
the local authority. Thus, no matter whether the occupants had rooms
on other floors of the house or not, the habitual use for sleeping purposes
of any underground rooms which did not fulfil the requirements in force
constituted an offence. The fundamental principle was not that it was
particularly dangerous to sleep in an underground room but that there
should be restriction of user of illegal underground rooms. When accommodation
is both expensive and scarce a room that is slept in too often
is a room that is also dwelt in. In large private dwelling houses single
basement rooms sometimes form the sole dwelling and sleeping quarters
of servants,