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known as the Totterdown-fields site, near the Tooting terminus of the Council s tramways. It
was recommended that this site should be acquired at the cost of £45,000, inclusive of legal costs,
or £1,150 per acre, and it was proposed to erect upon it cottages each providing accommodation
for two families, in self contained tenements, one of two, and one of three rooms. Separate
gardens would be provided for each tenement, and on an average not less than thirty cottages
would be built to the acre. The rent of the tenements would average about 7s. 6d. per week.
Norbury Estate—Until powers were conferred on the Council by the Housing of the
"Working Classes (Amendment) Act, 1900, the Council was unable to acquire land under Part
III. of the Act of 1890 for the provision of dwellings for the working classes outside the county
boundary. In November the Housing of the Working Classes Committee was able to recommend
the Council to purchase an estate at Norbury on the western side of the main road from
Streatham to Croydon, and about a quarter of a mile from the county boundary. The site is
about 31 acres in extent, and a plan for developing the estate prepared by the architect and
tentatively approved by the Committee, provided for the erection of 551 single
cottages, of three, four and five rooms each, and of 211 double cottages, each containing
tenements of two and three rooms. It was estimated that about 5,800 persons
could be accommodated on the site, or 195 persons per acre, and the average number of cottages
per acre would be about 25. The rents proposed to be charged were—single cottages, three
rooms, 7s. to 9s.; double cottages, three rooms, 6s. 6d.; two rooms and small kitchen, 6s.; four
rooms, 9s. Gd.; and five rooms, 11s. to 11s. 6d. The return fare from Nor bury to London-bridge
by workmen's trains is 4d., the estate being about a quarter of a mile from the Norbury station.
The estimated cost was £20,000, certain brick making plant on the estate to be purchased at
a valuation, and it was estimated that when all the buildings are completed there would be an
annual surplus of £470 per annum. The Council resolved in December to purchase the site.
Wedmore-strect, Holloway, site—In December the Council resolved to purchase for £12,500
a site in Wedmore-street, containing an area of 52,600 square feet. The Committee reported
that plans and estimates had been submitted showing that block dwellings, affording accommodation
for 1,050 persons in five one-room tenements, 140 two-room tenements, and 80 threeroom
tenements, could be erected without a charge upon the county rate.
Other provision which the Council decided to make was the erection of buildings on a
plot of land situated at the corner of Little Europa-place, which had been set aside for dwellings
in connection with the Battersea-bridge improvement of 1884. The land was offered for letting
by tender in 1893, and had for some time been occupied by the manager of the Works department.
Plans which had been prepared showed accommodation for 286 persons in 143 rooms,
comprising 10 one-room tenements, 44 two-room tenements (four of which are in two-storey
cottages), and 15 three-room tenements. The total estimated cost of the buildings was £15,900,
the value of the site being £1,350. The estimated annual surplus was £11 6s. 4d.
During the year the alteration of 97, Southwark-street, already in possession of the
Council, was completed, and accommodation thus provided for 72 persons.
Holborn-to-the-Strand-slreet and Clare-market Improvement Scheme—Under the Clareluarket
scheme about 3,038 persons will be displaced, and the rehousing scheme sanctioned by the
Home Secretary, provided for the accommodation of 750 persons on the cleared land at Claremarket,
and for 1,500 persons at Millbank, or 2,250 in all. In connection with the Holbornto-Strand-street,
the Council had in 1898 resolved that provision should be made for the rehousing,
within about a mile of their residences, of all persons of the labouring class displaced
who were dependent on fixed employment in the neighbourhood, and that adequate provision
should be made elsewhere for the remainder of the persons displaced. Later in November, 1898,
the Council decided that accommodation should be provided for a number of persons equal to the
number of persons of the working class displaced by the formation of the new street. In October,
the Improvements Committee reported to the Council that it had been ascertained that 3,700
persons of the labouring class would be displaced, and obtained the Council's sanction to a scheme
for rehousing 250 on the Duke's-court site and Marquis-court site, 799 in a lodging house at
the corner of Kemble-street and Drury-lane, 1681 on the Reid's Brewery-site, G80 on the Herbrand-street
site, and 290 on the Millbank-street site, thus providing for the 3,700 displaced
by the new street. By this scheme the whole of the available space on these sites was not exhausted,
thus on the Duke's-court and Marquis-court site accommodation still remained for 750
persons displaced by the Clare-market scheme, and it was proposed to ask the Home Secretary
to sanction the rehousing on that site of this number of persons displaced by the Clare-market
scheme instead of on the Clare-market area, and to appropriate a part of the Clare-market area
for the purposes of the Kemble-street lodging house, and the remainder for the purpose of the
new street. This scheme was approved by the Council.
Displacement of the working classes by private action.
In October the Council passed a resolution instructing committees to confer with the
Housing Committee before bringing up to the Council any proposal coming before them, the carrying
out of which would involve the displacement of 20 or more persous of the labouring class, and
in all cases where the displacement of any such persons is involved to state in their report what
action is proposed with a view to provision being made for the rehousing of such persons. In
November the Housing Committee reported to the Council on an application for the formation of
a new street and the widening of others in Bethnal-green, by which 1,728 persons would Be displaced
and 1,692 rehoused.
In connection with the Housing of the Working Classes, the following references were
made by medical officers of health in their annual reports as to proceedings under the Act or as to
unhealthy areas.