London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
St Pancras 1937
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, Metropolitan Borough]
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59
UNDERGROUND ROOMS.
The following are the particulars of action taken during the year in respect of underground rooms:—
| No. of Closing Orders on separate rooms or tenements for human habitation | 278 |
| No. of rooms the use of which has been discontinued for human habitation | 141 |
| No. of families accommodated elsewhere as a result of these notices by:— | |
| London County Council | 11 |
| St. Pancras Borough Council | 29 |
| No. of rooms vacated by own efforts or not used for human habitation by re-arrangement | 88 |
| No. of underground rooms rendered fit for human habitation | 60 |
I have to thank the Medical Officer of Health concerned for information regarding
a decision in the West London County Court that has an important bearing upon the
Underground Room Regulations, which was obtained by the Hammersmith Borough
Council.
Briefly, the decision was as follows:—
An appeal had been lodged against a Closing Order placed upon a back basement
room, the appellant holding that, as the floor of this room was only 1 ft. 3 in. below the
level of the garden adjoining, the room was not an underground room within the meaning
of the Act.
After hearing Counsel the Judge ruled that to take a room out of Section 12
Sub-section 2 it must not fall within either of the provisions, i.e., the floor must not be
more than 3 ft. below the street and must not be more than 3 ft. below the surface of
any ground within 9 ft.
The effect of this ruling is that where the byelaws are applicable to front basement
rooms they are also applicable to the back basement room in the same house.
HOUSING INSPECTOR.
The following report upon the work he has carried out during the year is submitted
by Mr. Walker, Housing Inspector.
I am pleased to report the progress on the working of Section 9, of the Housing
Act, 1936. A summarised table is given below. It will be seen that the number of
Notices served during 1937 was slightly lower than in 1936.
Two factors account for this. In the first place the Public Health Committee
ordered a complete survey of the Borough for housing purposes. This I undertook in
conjunction with my other duties, and it took a considerable amount of my time.