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As the disused burial ground could not be built upon, the Council decided to
appropriate it for the purposes of an open space.
Ihe scheme made by the Louncil in iyzb lor the clearance of the Basing-place
and Blue Anchor-lane areas, Camberwell (about 3 acres), was confirmed by the
Minister of Health on 23rd September, 1927. The confirming Order requires that
rehousing accommodation for 756 persons, which is the estimated number of persons
to be displaced from the two areas, shall be provided by the Council in new dwellings
to be erected on the Blue Anchor-lane area when cleared. The Basing-place area
will not be used for housing. By the end of the year good progress had been
made with the acquisition of property included in the scheme.
Basing-place
and Blue
Anchor-lane
scheme.
In 1926 the St. Marylebone Metropolitan Borough Council intimated that it had
decided to make a scheme under Part II. of the Housing Act, 1925, in respect of an
area known as the Carlisle-street area. The borough council sought the Council's
views with regard to a proposal that the scheme should be in respect of a large area
about 15 acres in extent. The Council was of opinion that portions of this area
were ripe for development and would require sooner or later to be dealt with, but
was not convinced that the conditions in the area at that time were such as to justify
an improvement scheme being undertaken by a municipal authority or priority being
<;iven to the scheme over schemes for areas in other parts of London which were calling
for attention. The Council considered, moreover, that if a scheme of this magnitude
were undertaken by a municipal authority, it should be carried out as a county
scheme under the Housing Act, 1925, but in view of the definite decision of the
borough council to formulate a scheme, the Council hardly felt justified in opposing
the proposal, provided that the scheme was limited in the first instance to the northern
portion of the area.
Carlisle-
street
scheme
A drart scheme was subsequently prepared by the borough council for the
portion of the area north of North-street, and was submitted in June, 1927, for the
observations of the Council.
In the following month the borough council, having further considered the
matter, submitted that, as similar clearance schemes had already been undertaken
by the Council, the Carlisle-street scheme, in view of its magnitude, was one of
general importance to the County of London as a whole and should be dealt with by
the Council as a county scheme. The Council was not unmindful of the fact that
the borough council by actively initiating and publicly announcing the scheme had
prejudiced the power of the Council to discriminate as to the order of priority in
which large clearance schemes in London should be undertaken. As the borough
council, however, offered to bear part of the cost, the Council consented as a special
case and without creating a precedent, to undertake the Carlisle-street scheme.
After negotiation, it was agreed with the borough council that the appropriate
division of the annual loss involved in the scheme, including the loss on
the new dwellings, whether within the area itself or elsewhere, should be 50 per
cent to be borne by the Exchequer, 30 per cent, by the borough council, and 20 per
cent, by the Council.
The necessary official representation was subsequently made to the Council with
regard to the area, which is bounded by the gardens of houses in Aberdeen-place, and
by Fisherton-street, Luton-street, Carlisle-street, North-street, and Lyons-place.
The total number of dwelling houses in the area is 310, about 30 of these having
shops under them. There are also a few warehouses, stores, etc., and one fully
licensed public-house. It is estimated that the displacement of about 2,832 persons;
of the working class will be involved. The official representation excludes two nonprovided
schools, one a Church of England school in North-street, and the other
a Roman Catholic school in Richmond-street.
The Council, on 20th December, 1927, passed a resolution to make the scheme
above-mentioned, and approved a capital estimate of £160,000 in respect of the
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