Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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(iii.) A section of the White Hart-lane estate, about 62 acres in extent, in the urban
districts of Tottenham and Wood Green, by the erection of about 1,110 houses to accommodate
approximately 5,500 persons, subject to the provisions of the scheme of development to be
approved by the Ministry of Health under section 13 of the London County Council (General
Powers) Act, 1912.
6. The following estates shall be acquired and developed, viz.—
(i.) 70 acres or thereabouts out of the 143 acres of land on the Dover House estate,
Roehampton, in the metropolitan borough of Wandsworth, for the erection of about 1,200
houses with accommodation for about 6,000 persons.
(ii.) The whole or part of a site or sites of from 150 to 180 acres in the south-eastern
district for the erection on a part thereof of not fewer than 1,750 houses to accommodate not
less than 8,750 persons.
(iii.) A site or sites of large extent to relieve the needs of the eastern part of the county
by the erection of over 20,000 houses with accommodation for approximately 120,000 persons.
7. The average number of houses per acre which may be erected in the development of lands
acquired under Part III. of the Housing Act of 1890 shall be 15 to 20, with such variation as may be
agreed having regard to the proximity of open spaces and other local conditions.
8. Dwellings shall be provided to accommodate not fewer than 1,960 persons in fulfilment of
the rehousing obligation under the London (Tabard-street, Grotto-place and Crosby-row) Improvement
Scheme, 1910, undertaken by the Council under Part I. of the Housing Act of 1890.
9. The scheme under Part II. of the Housing Act of 1890 for the clearance of the Brady-street
area, Bethnal Green, including the provision of dwellings for rehousing persons displaced shall be
carried out.
10. Schemes and such other immediate action as it may be possible to take under Parts I. and
II. of the Housing Act of 1890 shall be undertaken to facilitate the clearance of the worst of the
insanitary areas in the county, with an estimated population of 40,000, provision being made upon
the cleared sites or elsewhere for new accommodation in lieu of that to be destroyed."
Upon the receipt of the Council's scheme the Minister of Health, while expressing appreciation
of the promptness with which the Council had undertaken a general review of the situation, came to the
conclusion that the estimate for the number of houses for the first two years after the passing of the
Act was low, but he was prepared to approve the proposal provisionally pending the more detailed
consideration of the needs of the county which the Council is to make under section 1 of the Housing
Town Planning Act of 1919.
He also stated that he was not satisfied that the clearances, etc., described in the outlined scheme
could be regarded as an adequate contribution to the London housing problem, and expressed the
opinion that there should be no doubt as to the practicability of the Council providing a considerably
larger number of houses than that at present contemplated, in the time stated.
On receipt of this communication the Council replied to the effect that it hoped to be able at a
somewhat later stage to formulate and submit a definite annual building programme for the whole of
the five years period.
The Brady. street arra
In February, 1915, the Council decided to deal with the Brady-street Area, Bethnal Green, by two
distinct schemes under Part II. of the Housing Act, 1890, and directed a scheme to be prepared in respect
to the first section of the area.
Mann Crossman and Paulin, Ltd., are the owners of nearly all the property on the second section of
the area, a substantial portion of which is cleared land partly used for the purposes of the firm's business
as brewers. Negotiations were entered into with the firm for securing demolition of houses on their portion
of the area, for the closing of certain streets, and for the exchange of land which would have the effect of
concentrating the holdings in two portions near to their existing brewery.
Under this proposal it would have been possible for the Council after effecting the exchange of land
to provide accommodation for some 1,500 persons in block buildings or some 830 in cottages.
In May, 1919, the Council made a scheme embodying these proposals, providing for the re-housing
in block dwellings, and decided to petition the Local Government Board for an Order sanctioning the
scheme. The proposals as to exchange of land, however, met with opposition on the part of the Bethnal
Green Borough Council, on the ground that accommodation equivalent to that to be destroyed should
be provided by the Council, that 5-storeyed block dwellings would not meet the requirements of the
district, and that to provide accommodation in buildings of a less height for a number of persons equal to
the number displaced would necessitate the utilisation of all the land included in the scheme.
The Brady-
street area
A local enquiry was held by an inspector of the Ministry of Health in July. In September the
Ministry of Health intimated to the Council that the Minister was not prepared to agree to the proposed
exchange of land, but considered that practically the whole of the area should be used for re-housing, that
in order to obtain a good replanning scheme it seemed essential to adopt a wider area than that included
in the Council's scheme, and that while it might be possible to permit the erection of two 5-storeyed blocks
of premises, it appeared to the Minister that the remaining proposed tenement buildings in the area should
be restricted to a height of 3 storeys.
In these circumstances the Council on the 10th of February, 1920, made an amended scheme on
the lines indicated by the Minister of Health providing re-housing accommodation for 1800 persons, and
decided to petition the Minister of Health for an Order sanctioning the scheme.
The koe-hampton site.
In the exercise of its powers under Part III. of the Housing Act, 1890, the Council decided on the
15th April, 1919, to purchase a site of about 143 acres at Roehampton known as The Dover House Estate.
The purchase was conditional upon the scheme for the development of the estate, and the utilisation
or disposal of parts for the erection of houses for persons other than those of the working classes
The Roe-
hampton
site.