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Metropolitan Borough Council (150 in all). A site on the estate was appropriated
for the erection of an elementary school. Certain strips of land bordering on
Western-avenue and Old Oak Common-lane were surrendered for addition to
the public way.
St. Helier
estate.
St. Helier estate, Morden and Carshalton, is being acquired under compulsory
powers obtained in 1926 and 1927. After allowing for open spaces and buildings
for various purposes other than dwelling accommodation, the estate will be capable
of providing in all for about 10,000 houses.
The first section to be developed is the north-western portion, about 255 acres
in extent, in the urban district of Merton and Morden, nearest to the Morden station
of the London Electric Railway. The lay-out plan for the first section provides
for the erection of about 2,776 houses and flats, including a few blocks of flats in
three-storey buildings. Sites have been reserved for places of worship and other
public builings, schools, shops, etc. A site of nearly 12 acres has been set apart
for an open space or playing-fields, and another site of about 3 acres for an extension
of the public recreation ground of the Merton and Morden Urban District Council,
and it is proposed to retain some existing properties. Provision is also made for
three estate offices, with superintendent's quarters and workshops. The section
is divided in the centre by the Sutton by-pass arterial road, which runs from
north to south, and the length of this road on the section is about one mile. The
development of the land on either side of the arterial road has been designed
with special regard to its use by fast main road traffic, and the number of crossroads
has been limited to two. It is proposed to construct roads 40 feet wide on
each side of the arterial road and parallel to it at distances of about 400 feet; and
the intervening strips of land will be developed by means of culs-de-sac entered
from the 40-feet roads. The cute-de-sac will be connected with the arterial road
by greens with footpaths with no direct means of access for wheeled traffic to or from
the arterial road. Between these greens there will be a number of houses facing the
arterial road, but their gardens will be entered from footpaths running behind other
greens. The estimate of the capital expenditure involved in the development of
the first section of the estate, including the construction of roads and sewers, is
£1,764,000.
Following the line of action pursued by the Council in the larger housing contracts
entered into since the war, it was decided to have the whole of the development
work at St. Helier estate, including the construction of roads and sewers and the
erection of the houses, carried out under a "value-cost" contract and to employ
one master contractor only who would be solely responsible to the Council.
Under such an arrangement the Council finances the undertaking and bears the
actual cost of the work, and the contractor is remunerated for his services by a
fee computed on the measured value of the work and increased or decreased on a
definite scale according as the actual cost is respectively less or greater than the
measured value.
C. J. Wills and Sons, Limited, had had a long experience in the development
of other estates for the Council (Becontree, Watling estate, etc.), and as a result had
built up organisations from which the Council wished, if possible, to continue to
reap the benefits in the economic and rapid construction of houses at St. Helier
estate. After negotiation, the Council therefore, on 31st July, 1928, decided to
enter into a contract with the company for the development of St. Helier estate
upon the terms and conditions of their contract for the development of Watling
estate, but at a percentage of 1¼ on the revised total value of the work (as compared
with 2½ per cent. for Watling estate), subject to variation as indicated above after
a comparison of the actual cost with the measured value. The schedule of values
for inclusion in the contract to apply to the first section of the estate was subsequently
agreed with the contractors and the arrangements for the work to be commenced