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229
Housing of the Working Classes.
Totterdown
Fields estate.
The Council, regarding the financial prospects of the estate as satisfactory, thought that some
further capital expenditure might usefully be incurred in improving the amenities of the cottages
and the estate generally, and on 26th November, 1912, expenditure not exceeding £2,500 was
sanctioned for this purpose. There is an increasing demand for the accommodation provided and the
loss by empties at the present time is less than 3 per cent. of the rent receivable.
Norbury
estate.
Further progress has been made with the development of the Norbury estate, Croydon (28½
acres). Roads and sewers have been constructed and cottages have been erected on about 16½ acres of
the estate, and the work of finishing the roads is being carried out by the Croydon Corporation.
Up to 31st December, 1912, accommodation for 3,472 persons had been provided in 472 cottages.
Four shops have also been provided. The development of the remainder of the estate will shortly
be proceeded with.
Old Oak
estate.
The Old Oak estate, Hammersmith (about 46½ acres), is now in course of development. Contracts
have been let for the erection of 305 cottages and cottage flats and 5 shops on the western section
of the estate, comprising about 14½ acres. Roads and sewers have been constructed on this portion of
the estate, and 102 cottages and cottage flats with accommodation for 562 persons have been completed.
Administrative buildings with an estate office, workshop and store and dwelling accommodation for
the superintendent are in course of erection. Ducane-road has been widened to 50 feet in front of
Wormwood-scrubs prison and extended along the southern boundary of the estate to Old Oak
Common-lane. Plans for the laying out of roads on the eastern section of the estate (32 acres) have
been provisionally approved and plans and estimates for the cottages are in course of preparation.
A temporary school has been erected on the estate and the question of allocating a site for the provision
of permanent school accommodation is under consideration.
An acre and a quarter of land abutting on the housing estate and Wormwood-scrubs was
acquired for the purpose of constructing an outlet from the eastern section of the estate in the
north-west corner. The portion of this land not required for the proposed new road has been added
to the open space. The new road will be continued to Old Oak Common-lane over a small piece of
land which formerly belonged to the Great Western Railway Company, but which has now been
surrendered by the Company in exchange for some 60 square yards of land forming part of the
housing estate.
Leasing of
cottages to
tenants.
In the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1912, parliamentary authority was
obtained to enable the Council to grant leases for 99 years of single houses erected on estates developed
under the Housing of the Working Classes Acts. It is proposed to grant leases to occupiers on payment
of a deposit of £5, the lessee being required (i.) to pay throughout the lease the equivalent
of a ground rent and (ii.) to make equal weekly payments for the first 15, 20 or 25 years sufficient to
repay the amount spent on the land and buildings (less the deposit and the capitalised value of the
ground rent) interest, legal, etc., costs, establishment charges, etc.
The prospective iessee will have to satisfy the Council that he has a bona-fide intention of
residing in the house, but he will be allowed, with the Council's consent, to let the house or to transfer
the lease to a suitable assignee. The Council will also under certain circumstances agree to accept a
surrender of the lease and make a payment to the lessee in consideration of such surrender. The
charges to the lessee will be fixed as low as is possible without involving a charge upon the
rates.
It is proposed, as an experiment, to allocate for leasing some of the cottages to be erected
on the eastern section of the Old Oak estate, and, if the experiment is successful the scheme will be
extended to other cottage estates.
Dwellings
provided by
the Council.
Dwellings capable of accommodating 1,518 persons were completed during the year 1912 at
an approximate cost for buildings and plans of £46,648. The erection of new cottages designed to
accommodate 1,210 persons and other works incidental to the development of the various estates
were undertaken during the year, and the total cost thereof is estimated at £55,680.
The standing orders of the Council require that all dwellings shall be so designed that the cost
of erection may not exceed a sum which will enable all outgoings, interest, and sinking fund charges,
to be paid without placing a charge upon the county rate, and the rents to be charged are not to exceed
those ruling in the neighbourhood. Some of the dwellings erected by the Council do not fulfil
these requirements ; but this is mainly due to the fact that the Council was obliged to build on
sites which were so unsuitable as to be unsaleable for the purpose.
Management
of dwellings.
The Council's dwellings, on 31st December, 1912, contained accommodation for 55,326
persons.
With a view to effecting a desirable improvement in the lighting of the yards, staircases and
balconies of the Council's dwellings, inverted incandescent gas burners were during the year substituted
for flat flame burners at a cost of £500. It is anticipated that the alteration will effect a
substantial economy.
A small demand having arisen on the part of gas stokers, lightermen and others working at
night-time for sleeping accommodation at Carrington House, Deptford, during the day, arrangements
have been made for these men to be accommodated in the cubicles on the top floor of the lodging
house.
Bath accommodation has been provided for the use of the tenants at Preston's-road estate,
Poplar, a three-roomed tenement on the ground floor having been converted into five bathrooms at a
cost of about £230. A charge of 1½d. is made for the use of a bath if the tenant chooses to provide
the soap and towel, and 2d. a bath if a towel is provided by the Council.