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existing and anticipated future needs of the localities which they were intended to
serve.
OUTLINE PLAN OF TYPICAL COMBINED MATERNITY AND CHILD
WELFARE AND SCHOOL TREATMENT CENTRE FOR INCORPORATION
IN A BLOCK OF FLATS
The standards adopted were formulated in the light of experience already gained
in the design of modern clinic buildings in London and elsewhere in the country;
they provide a comprehensive code of practice governing such matters as the overall
layout of the accommodation required, the sequence and size of rooms necessary to
secure their multiple use for various purposes at various times, and the siting of sanitary
and other fittings*. In determining standard floor areas for individual rooms special
regard was paid to their functional purpose and to the space occupied by essential
furniture, fittings and equipment, and in the case of waiting rooms, offices etc., to the
maximum number of persons likely to be present in the rooms at any one time. An
outline plan of a typical combined centre designed in accordance with planning standards
for incorporation in a block of flats is shown above.
The standards are applied so as to allow the greatest possible freedom of design from
an architectural point of view and, while minor deviations have been necessary from time
to time to meet differing circumstances, no practical difficulties have been experienced in
planning new accommodation within the broad limits of the new code.
Day nurseries
The majority of the dav nurseries transferred to the Council in 1948 had been established
in haste during the war in requisitioned premises or in prefabricated buildings erected
on sites which had subsequently been earmarked for housing or education purposes.
As the post-war expansion of these services gathered momentum an increasing number
of sites on which day nurseries were situated had to be released for permanent development
and the nurseries closed before replacement buildings could be provided. At
the same time it was necessary to discontinue the use of other premises which were no
longer suitable.
While the policy of amalgamating nurseries, where this could be done without
causing hardship or inconvenience, and the strict application of a priority system of
admission enabled the day nursery service to be maintained without serious difficulty,
the extent to which the service depended upon the use of premises held on insecure
tenure or under limited requisitioning powers gave rise to concern for several years.
Following a gradual diminution in the demand for places for children in the highest
priority groups, the level at which the service would need to be maintained to meet the
anticipated future demand was reviewed in 1954 to enable steps to be taken to close
* The standards adopted are summarised in Table (uii), which shows sizes of room, etc., shown in the outline plan.
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