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proposed new street, and who were dependent on fixed employment in the neighbourhood, and
that adequate accommodation should be provided elsewhere for the remainder of the persons
displaced; and that this provision for re-housing the people should be made as far as possible
previously to their being displaced.
In October, the Housing of the Working Classes and the Improvement Committees recommended
to the Council the purchase from the Duke of Bedford of two sites in Drury-lane, and also
a larger site fronting Herbrand-street, near Woburn-place. In making this recommendation, which
was adopted, the committees reported as follows—
Before describing; the effect of these proposals, it will perhaps be well if we remind the Council
of the provision which will have to be made for rehousing persons to be displaced by the Claremarket
scheme and by the formation of the new street from Holborn to the Strand. In the former
case about 3,038 persons are to be displaced. Of this number it has been proposed to make provision
on the area for 750 persons, and for 1,500 on the Millbank site, leaving 788 unprovided for. By
the formation of the new street about 3,030 persons, including women and children, will bo
displaced, and the proposal to be made to Parliament is that all the persons who are
dependent on fixed employment in the neighbourhood should be re-housed within about a mile
of their residences, and that adequate provision should be made for the remainder of the persons to
be displaced. This would mean that 1,816 persons would have to be accommodated within about
a mile of the improvement. The Housing Committee are particularly anxious to obtain at once sites
for the erection of dwellings, so that at no distant date the persons at present in residence on the
Clare-market area may be removed and the existing houses demolished. The Committee therefore
strongly advise the acquisition from the Duke of Bedford of the three sites now offered to the Council,
such acquisition being effected under Part III. of the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890. If
this be done, accommodation can be provided for about 1,000 persons on the three sites, or for a total of
776 if allowance be made for the 224 persons already occupying premises on the second site in Drurylane.
This will enable the Council to accommodate on the Clare-market area a large number of the
persons displaced by the formation of the new street from Holborn to the Strand. In the event of the
Council failing to obtain parliamentary powers for the new street—a contingency which we think it is
hardly necessary to contemplate—the cost of the three sites may be recouped, as an amendment of
the Clare-market scheme may be sought to enable the Council to sell land on the Clare-market area,
which but for the acquisition of the three sites would have been used for housing purposes. Failing
this, the additional accommodation for rehousing can with much advantage be utilised in connection
with other clearance schemes where the Council is required to make provision within a certain distance
from the scheme. The price asked for the three sites (£118,740) is in our opinion reasonable. By
purchasing the three plots of land the Council will be able to provide accommodation at a rate which,
after allowing for the value of the sites as housing sites, will work out at about £100 per head net. whereas
in our original estimate for rehousirg persons to be displaced by the construction of the new thoroughfare
we included a sum exceeding twice that amount, owing to the difficulty of obtaining, at reasonable
cost, sites in the neighbourhood in question.
Brook-street, Limehouse—In July, the Council approved working drawings, specifications,
&c., for cottages which it was proposed to erect on plot 2 of the land acquired in the Brook-street,
Limehouse, scheme of 1883, and authorized the Housing of the Working Classes Committee to
invite tenders for the work of erecting the cottages, if the manager of the Works department was
unable to accept it. In October the committee reported that no tenders had been received. In
December the committee again reported on this area, recommending the suspension of the standing
order requiring that buildings erected shall not be a charge upon the rates.
Hughes-fields, Greenwich—A scheme was made for this area by the Metropolitan Board of
Works under the Artizans and Labourers Dwellings Improvement Act of 1875. In March, 1898,
the Council instructed the Parks and Open Spaces Committee to consider whether, in view of the
fact that some of the land had remained unlet for several years, it would not be desirable to secure
the plot in Butcher's-road, three-quarters of an acre in extent, as a children's playground, and in
December, on the recommendation of the Corporate Property Committee, the Council decided that
this should be done.
Schemes undertaken by the Council with contributions by district authorities.
Ann-street, Poplar—An agreement had been made with the East-end Dwellings Company
for the sale to the company of this land, on the condition that plans of the dwellings to be erected
by the company were to be approved by the Council before the agreement was completed. Plans
were accordingly submitted by the company in July, 189G, which were not approved by the
Housing of the "Working Classes Committee. After correspondence and an interview with the
company, it was decided to send the plans to the Local Government Board, but the plans were
not approved by the Board. Fresh plans were prepared, submitted to the committee in July, 1897,
and forwarded to the Local Government Board in November, 1897. Correspondence took place
between the Council and the Board, and in 1898 the Board intimated that single-room tenements
could only be allowed if the Council guaranteed that they would be occupied by childless married
couples, two girls, or two elderly persons of the same sex. To these conditions the East-end
Dwellings Company took exception, and it was eventually decided that the Council should itself
proceed to erect the artizans' dwellings required. Inasmuch as there was no prospect of any
dwellings erected on this land complying with the Council's financial requirements, the Council,
in November, 1898, suspended the standing order relating to this matter. .
Falcon-court, Southicarl—ln February, the Council authorised the purchase of a site in
Green-street and Pocock-street, Southwark, at a cost of £6,100, for the accommodation of persons
displaced under the Falcon-court scheme. The site was purchased under Part III. of the Housing
of the Working Classes Act. In July the Local Government Board issued an order sanctioning
the Falcon-court improvement scheme under Part II. of the Housing of the Working Glasses Act
and the Housing of the Working Classes Committee took the necessary steps to serve copies of
the order upon all owners, lessees, and occupiers as required by the Act. In October the Council
authorised an expenditure of £250 for the preparation of plans of dwellings to be erected on the