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section; the south-east, or Dagenham section; and the north-east, or Valence
section.
At the end of the year 5,590 houses on the estate had been completed, about
2,000 were in course of building, and orders had been issued to the contractors for
the erection of about 2,500 others. The development of a further section by the
erection of about 2,728 houses on the poured concrete system of construction was
approved during the year, and the order to commence will be given as soon as the
plans are ready and the necessary preliminary arrangements have been made.
The weekly net rents (exclusive of rates) for accommodation on the Dagenham
(No. 6) section have been fixed on the basis of the rents charged for accommodation
on the adjoining section, viz. Three-roomed houses, 10s.; four-roomed
(non-parlour) houses, 10s. 6d. and 10s. 9d.; four-roomed (parlour) houses,
11s. 6d. to 13s.; five-roomed houses, 12s. 6d.; two-roomed flats, 7s. 6d. The
weekly net rents on the Valence (No. 4) section have also been fixed as follows
Houses—Three rooms, 10s.; four rooms (non-parlour), 11s.; four rooms (parlour
type), 12s.; five rooms, 13s.; Flats—Two rooms (ground and first floor), 8s.
During 1925 the Council sold three sites for the erection of churches—namely,
one for £1,000 to the Roman Catholic Church Authorities, one for £1,000 to the
Church of England Authorities, and one to the Council of the Baptist Union for
£690. Three sites were sold to the Essex County Council for £1,400, £875, and
£1,350 respectively for the erection of elementary schools. Other sites were let on
building lease for 99 years for the erection of shops, and a site in Green-lane was let
on lease for the erection of a cinematograph hall. A site in Valence-avenue was sold
to the Postmaster-General for £1,000 for the erection of a post-office, and a site in
Bennett's Castle-lane was let on lease to a medical practitioner.
During the year a revised agreement was entered into with the Gas Light and
Coke Company for the installation of gas to houses and flats at Becontree, the company
laying the mains and service pipes, carcassing the houses and providing all
necessary fittings in consideration of payments by the Council in respect of each
dwelling, as follows:—Valence (No. 4) section, £4 10s. ; Ilford (No. 5) section, £3;
Dagenham (No. 6) section, £1 10s.; Valence (No. 7) section, and any other sections
at the option of the Council, nil.
Beliingham.
The total area of Beliingham is 252 acres, and under the main contract, completed
in 1923, for the development of the portion of the estate devoted to workingclass
dwellings (176½ acres) 2,090 houses and flats were erected. Two or three small
sites remain on which it is proposed, with the approval of the Minister of Health,
to erect about 30 houses which will qualify for State aid under the Assisted Scheme
of 1919.
On 10th November, 1925, the Council agreed as an experiment to the erection
on one of these sites of the six houses of the "Tibbenham" type, already referred to
in the paragraph dealing with new methods of house construction, the essential
feature of this form of construction consisting of walls built of an oak frame
with a filling of concrete.
Downham.
The main portion of the housing estate at Downham (Lewisham and Bromley),
which is altogether about 520 acres in extent, was acquired under compulsory powers.
A small addition of about 52/3 acres was made to the estate in 1925 at a cost of £2,000.
The development of the Bromley-road (No. 1) section is being carried out under
a cost contract by Holland & Hannen and Cubitts, Limited. The original contract
was for 2,000 houses, but this number was subsequently increased to 2,178, and a
supplemental capital estimate of £110,000 to cover the cost of the additional houses
was approved by the Council on 15th December, 1925.
A hundred of the houses to be erected on this estate have been allocated to meet
the special needs of the Bermondsey Metropolitan Borough Council in connection
with the clearance of an unhealthy area in the borough. The arrangement has been
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