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The following report has been received from the Housing Manager:-
"During the year 191 families were rehoused leaving 565 families on the housing register at
the end of December 1971.
With the second stage of the Middlesex Street Estate almost completed arrangements were
made for the completion of the remainder of the redevelopment in one final stage. The estate when
completed will provide a shopping and residential precinct of 181 flats and 38 shops.
Good progress was made on the construction of the Old People's Unit, comprising 60 units
of accommodation and 30 family residential units, on the site of Otto House, Sydenham Hill.
The fourth and final stage of the redevelopment of the Holloway Estate was approved and
this will provide 62 flats on the site between Camden Road and Parkhurst Road of which 50
flats will be for Corporation use and 12 ground floor flats, designed to meet the special needs of
disabled people, will be let to John Groom's Crippleage on terms agreed. Building works will
commence in 1972.
Of the 2,100 flats and houses in the Barbican residential development some 700 have been
completed and occupied, over 200 of these during the year. There are now approximately 1,200
residents in Barbican including 100 children.
Work commenced on the Barbican Arts Centre. The Barbican Y.M.C.A. building was completed
and officially opened by the Lord Mayor. By the end of the year the first few of the 200
residents had taken up occupation."
EXAMINATION OF WATER SAMPLES
The Corporation of London exercise their functions with regard to water supply under the
Public Health Acts, 1936 and 1961, and the Water Acts of 1945, 1948 and 1955. There is also
a provision in the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act, 1963, which requires all employers
of shops and office workers to ensure that there is available to their staff an adequate supply
of wholesome drinking water.
In the City there are two sources of water supply:-
(1) From the statutory water undertaker, which in the case of the City is the Metropolitan
Water Board.
(2) From deep wells which supply drinking water to private premises within the City.
There are 114 such wells in use and they serve 54 premises.
The supply from the Metropolitan Water Board is completely safe and satisfactory at the
point of delivery to the premises, but it is the responsibility of the Public Health Department to
ensure that this supply is potable when it reaches the consumers within the premises. Various
business premises were visited, some as a result of complaint, to examine the distribution of
Metropolitan Water Board supplies and during the year 16 inspections were carried out. This
included the inspection of tanks, installation services and various draw-off points. Thirty-seven
bacteriological samples were taken from food preparation points of drinking water sources within
the buildings concerned.
As will be seen from the accompanying table of the bacteriological examination of service
points within premises, the percentage of adverse results appears high. These are, however,
repeat samples in one building where difficulties were being experienced.
The water from the bore holes of the private wells comes from the hard grey chalk strata
known as the London Basin, some 200 to 600 feet below the City ground level. This supply is
satisfactory in quality and quantity and is a non-plumbo-solvent water with a total hardness of
about 325ppm. The sterilisation of this water is usually carried out by means of liquid chlorination
when the supply is pumped into the storage tank and the chlorine content of the water
is tested by the Public Health Inspector concerned. In some cases the water is filtered by means
of diatomaceous filters, which control any bacteriological contamination and also eliminate any
iron hydroxides which may be derived from the chalk strata.
Of a total number of 83 samples taken during the year to bacteriological examination 81 were
found to be satisfactory and 2 were unsatisfactory necessitating further investigation. In both
cases the appropriate action was taken to prevent any further contamination of the system.
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