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The total extent of the areas as now proposed to be dealt with under the
clearance scheme is about 10¾ acreas..
The Hatfield-street area (2¾ acres) is situated in a district which is rapidly
becoming industrialised, and the Council has decided to devote most, if not all of the
area for commercial purposes. It is proposed to utilise accommodation being
provided by the Council at Kennings estate, Kennington, for rehousing the persons
to be displaced. During the year the Council decided to enter into agreements with
two commercial companies owning property in the area, which they desired to
retain for the extension of their businesses. One of these companies, The
Associated Iliffe Press, Limited, held the freehold of a large number of houses in the
area, all let on short tenancies. Under the agreement the company will retain the
sites of the houses and will pay to the Council £13,000 towards the cost of clearance and
providing alternative housing accommodation elsewhere. To facilitate the clearance
operations and to enable the transfer of the tenants to be effected, the Council will
take over the property of the company at an early date, and will pay to the company
a rent during the period within which the clearance of the land will be
carried out.
The agreement with the second company, J. Sainsbury, Limited, provides for
the clearance of the company's lands in the area which they will retain, for the sale
of an additional cleared site to the company for £1,050, for the payment to the
Council of £3,000 in respect of part of the loss involved in rehousing the people to be
displaced, and for the granting of an option to the company to purchase at fair
market value an additional parcel of land when the lay-out of the area has been
finally determined.
Basing-place
and Blue
Anchor-lane
scheme.
An official representation under Part II. of the Housing Act, 1925, was made to
the Council during the year by the medical officer of health of Camberwell with
regard to two unhealthy areas known as the Blue Anchor-lane and Basing-place
areas within the borough. The Blue Anchor-lane area, about 2 acres in extent, is
situated near the junction of Rye-lane and High-street, Peckham. It is bounded on
the north by the rear of houses in Goldsmith-road, on the south by the rear of
properties in High-street, on the east by the rear of houses in Hardcastle-street, and
on the west it has a frontage to Hill-street. The area is largely occupied by costermongers
and street sellers. The site planning is bad and the planning of the individual
houses is unsatisfactory. The houses are old, worn and damp. The Basingplace
area, about one acre in extent, is situated between High-street, Peckham, and
Yictoria-road, and comprises Basing-place, Paradise-place and Paradise-yard.
The houses are old, damp and worn, and the site is badly laid out, with the residt
that light and ventilation are considerably restricted. The Council being satisfied
that the existing evils could only be remedied by the clearance and reconstruction of
the areas decided on 27th July, 1926, to make an improvement scheme in respect of
the two areas, and approved a capital estimate of £50,000 in respect of the cost
of acquisition and clearance.
The scheme includes 124 houses (4 of which have been added for efficiency
purposes), one beer-house, a small mission room on the Basing-place area, a number
of workshops, etc., and it is estimated that the displacement of about 756 persons
will be involved. It will be possible to provide dwellings on the Blue Anchor-place
area with accommodation for about 950 persons, in addition to a few lock-up shops.
The scheme provides for the rehousing on that area of a number of persons not fewer
than the number to be displaced under the scheme.
The scheme was duly submitted to the Minister of Health for confirmation, and
a public local inquiry into the proposal was fixed for 20th January, 1927.
Westonstreet
site.
The attention of the Council was directed during the year to a block of dilapidated
property comprising 11 houses occupied by about 110 persons, at the junction
of Weston-street and Tabard-street, Southwark, about 50 yards distant from the