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comprises 68 houses fronting in Lever-street between Centr.il-street and Europa-place with the houses
in that street and place, and with houses in Garden-row and Clarence-place in the rear, and in Clarencestreet
which leads into Garden-row. The houses generally are small and in bad repair and with small
yard spaces. The population of this area is 407, and the death rate, 1895-99, was 44"2 per 1,000.
The Roby-street area comprises houses in Anchor-yard, Roby-street and Richard's-place; it
is about three-quarters of an acre in extent, and the houses generally are insanitary and in bad repair,
with small yard space at the rear. The population of the area is 218, and the death rate for theperiod
1895-99 works out at 32T per 1,000 living.
The Baltic-street area is about two-thirds of an acre in extent, and comprises houses in Bullcourt,
Baltic-court, Little Baltic-street, St. Thomas-place, Middle-row and Baltic-street. The houses
are in an insanitary condition, in most cases old and worn and without sufficient light and air space.
The population of the area is 351 persons, and the death-rate for the period 1895-99 was 42'2 per
1,000 living.
The Honduras-street area is about one-quarter of an acre in extent, and comprises 17 houses in
a more or less insanitary condition, and without sufficient light and air space, situated in Hondurasstreet,
Baltic-street and Golden-lane. The population of the area numbers 217 persons, and the deathrate
for the period 1895-9 was 40*6 per 1,000 living.
The Committee presented to the Council a scheme for the improvement of these areas, which
provided for the housing of 1,193 persons of the working class. The estimated cost was as follows—
Cost of land, &c., £172,000; cost of roads, £3,750; less estimated value of building sites, £30,900 ;
total net cost, £'144,850.
Nightingale-street area, St. Marylebone—In November, 1899, the Housing of the Working
Classes Committee presented the following report to the Council with regard to this area—
In November, 1898, our attention was called by the medical officer of St. Marylebone to an insanitary
area in Nightingale-street and Samford-street in that parish. The area was the subject of a special
report to the Yestry of St. Marylebone by their medical officer, and subsequently in December, 1898,
the vestry approached the Council with a view to the area being dealt with by way of scheme under the
Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890. The Council's medical officer reported that the faults of the
majority of the houses were (a) defective condition of repair, and (b) insufficient ykrd space at the rear.
Nightingale-street is only 25 feet wide, and the population of the area is 620. The death rates, calculated
over the last eight years, were, for Nightingale-street at all ages, 35'3, and for children under five years
of age 109'9 per 1,000, while the corresponding death rates for the parish of St. Marylebone were 18'3
and 59'6 respectively. The medical officer was of opinion that if the persons displaced could be satisfactorily
re-housed there would be advantage in dealing with the area under a scheme. Upon referring
to the ground plan of London it was ascertained that the whole of the property was held on lease from
the trustees of the Portman estate, of which it formed part. We therefore at once entered into
communication with the agent to Lord Portman, the owner of the first estate of freehold, with a
view to ascertaining whether he would be prepared to co-operate with the Council in carrying out a scheme
as contemplated by sub-section 3 of section 6 of the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890. The
Council will no doubt learn with satisfaction that our proposals were met throughout in a most courteous
and willing spirit. The result of the negotiations is that if the Council will pass the necessary resolution
to enable the area to be dealt with, and acquire all the leasehold interests in the property, Lord
Portman will repay the Council all its costs and expenses in so doing. It is proposed that the area
shall be dealt with as follows—Nightingale-street will be closed; the portion of the area adjoining the
Board School in Apland-street will, subject to agreement with the School Board, be utilised as a joint
playground for the school children and the children of the tenants of the dwellings to be erected on the
remainder of the area; and Lord Portman will provide dwellings on the remainder of the area for the
accommodation of as many persons as will be displaced. The net cost to Lord Portman is estimated at
£6,000, and the gross cost, which must in the first instance be paid by the Council, but which will be
repaid by Lord Portman, is estimated at £10,800. We have had a scheme prepared for giving effect to
the proposals outlined above, and we submit the same for the seal of the Council. It must, however, be
pointed out that should Lord Portman be unable from any cause to carry out this part of the scheme
the whole of the cost thereof will have to be borne by the Council. We think it right to inform the
Council of this risk, but we have no doubt that the Council will still wish to encourage, on the part of
land owners in London, every such attempt to themselves deal with their own insanitary property as is
now being made by Lord Portman. We may mention that the official representation upon which we
are able to base the proposal to deal with this area under part I. of the Act was made by the medical
officer of St. Marylebone, on 1st November, 1899. We have supplied the Finance Committee with the
necessary particulars, and they will submit an estimate in due course. We recommend—
(a) That the requisite resolution under section 4 of the Housing of the Working Classes Act,
1890, be passed by the Council with respect to the Nightingale-street area, St. Marylebone, and that
the seal of the Council be fixed to such resolution.
(b) That the seal of the Council be affixed to the scheme approved by the Housing of the
Working Classes Committee for the improvement of the Nightingale-street area with the
co-operation of Lord Portman, and that the estimate of £10,800 to be submitted by the Finance
Committee in respect of the costs and expenses of acquiring the property under such scheme, be
approved.
The recommendations of the Committee were adopted by the Council on the 14th November,
1899.
All the above schemes have since been confirmed.
During the year 1899 the work of carrying out the various schemes which had been prepared
in previous years was proceeded with.
Schemes undertaken by the Council under Part I. of the Act or by the Metropolitan Board of
Works under the Artizans' and Labourers' Dwellings Act, 1875.
Boundary-street, Bethnal-green—The following buildings came into occupation during the year
—Molesey, accommodating 124 persons, the estimated cost being £5,040 ; Clifton, accommodating 404
persons, estimated cost £17,251 ; Wargrave, accommodating 270, estimated cost £12,920 ; Cookham,
accommodating 306 persons, estimated cost £14,316. The erection of these buildings completed the
work of rehousing on the Boundary-street area, and the estate was formally declared open by H.R.H.
the Prince of Wales in March, 1900.