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27
Slum Clearance
(a) Clearance Areas
In furtherance of the City Council's slum clearance programme for
the period 1955-1960, representations were made for dealing with 17 unfit
houses within a site bounded by Dufour's Place, Broadwick Street, and
Marshall Street, W.l.
The houses were contained in two areas—(i) fourteen houses, viz.—
1-6 (consecutive and inclusive), Dufour's Place; 64-70 (even) and 74,
Broadwick Street; and 7-9 (consecutive and inclusive),Marshall Street,
comprising an area of -36 acre; and (ii) three houses, viz.:—11, 12 and
13, Marshall Street, comprising an area of -09 acre.
Acting upon my official representations, the City Council, at their
meeting on the 13th November, 1958, declared the following areas as
clearance areas:—
No. 1—Westminster (Dufour's Place, Broadwick Street and Marshall
Street) Clearance Area, 1958.
No. 2—Westminster (Marshall Street) Clearance Area, 1958.
(b) Compulsory Purchase Order
The Housing Act, 1957, provides that when an area has been declared
a clearance area, the local authority may proceed to secure the clearance
of the area either (i) by ordering the demolition of the buildings in the
area (clearance order procedure); or (ii) by purchasing the land comprised
in the area and itself undertaking or otherwise securing the demolition
of the buildings thereon (purchase procedure).
It was considered that clearance order procedure was unsuitable for
dealing with the areas described above because, when the houses were
demolished, one of the cleared sites would be too small for separate
redevelopment, and the other site would be irregular in shape and thereby
also unsuitable for separate redevelopment. Accordingly, it was decided
that Nos. 60, 62 and 72, Broadwick Street and 10, Marshall Street,
and the factory premises at the rear of 9 to 13 (consecutive and inclusive),
Marshall Street should also be purchased to secure a cleared area of
convenient shape and size and to ensure the satisfactory development
and user of the sites to be cleared.
At their meeting on the 13th November, 1958, therefore, the City
Council resolved to make a Compulsory Purchase Order for the acquisition
of the properties Nos. 1-6 (consecutive and inclusive) Dufour's Place,
60-74 (even), Broadwick Street and 7-13 (consecutive and inclusive),
Marshall Street (including factory at rear).
The Order has been submitted to the Minister of Housing and Local
Government for confirmation.
One of the houses (No. 74, Broadwick Street, birthplace of William
Blake, painter, poet and mystic) has been included by the Minister of