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The Council have also entered into a lease of sites Nos. 30, 31 and 32 comprising 1.85 acres in
Wellington Road, Circus Road and Kingsmill Terrace, with a view to development for housing purposes.
Grading of Housing Estates and Rents.—During the year the Council accepted the principle of grading
their permanent housing estates according to the amenities and to utilise the exchequer subsidies
earned by the higher-graded (and higher-rented) estates in reducing the rents charged at the lowergraded
estates. The Housing Committee were requested to draft a scheme on these lines for
implementation early in 1950 ; in the meantime the available flats at the Barrow Hill and Church
Street Estates have been let at provisional rents.
Fisherton Street Housing Estate.—Works of repair and redecoration, etc., were carried out at a cost of
approximately £2,600, in addition to the day-to-day running repairs. A tender was accepted for the
modernisation of the first stage of the hot water plant at a cost of £3,534 and the work will commence
early next year.
Crawford Place Dwellings.—The work of reinstating four basement flats, formerly used as an air-raid
shelter, was completed and the flats were occupied early in the year. Repairs and decorations were
carried out to the value of £575.
Requisitioned Premises.—Internal and external re-decorations were carried out at a cost of £35,808.
Adaptation works to further suitable premises have been executed during the year to provide additional
housing accommodation. The total number of residential units held by the Council in requisitioned
premises at 31st December, 1949, was 1,044.
"Half-Way" Houses.—Works for the conversion of Nos. 45-49, Beaumont Street and Nos. 39-41,
Nottingham Street into " half-way " houses will be completed early next year.
St. Marylebone Housing Association.—The Association completed the erection of 64 flats at Cochrane
Street in November, 1949, with the assistance of an exchequer subsidy. The tenants were nominated
by the Council.
Inspection of Dwelling-houses.—Number of houses inspected for defects under the Public Health or
Housing Acts—4,858; number of inspections made—11,118; number of houses found not to be in
all respects reasonably fit for human habitation—906; number of defective houses rendered fit in
consequence of informal action—690; number of houses in which defects were remedied by owners
after service of formal notices under the Public Health (London) Act, 1936—276.
Underground Rooms.—Closing orders under section 12 of the Housing Act, 1936, were made in respect
of 17 rooms, and three closing orders, affecting six basement rooms, were determined. Several
undertakings from owners not to use or permit to be used underground rooms for human habitation
were accepted by the Public Health Committee during the year.
Re-housing.—During the year 450 enquiries were received from the Council's Housing Director, the
County Medical Officer of Health and the Director of Housing of the London County Council, and from
other authorities, regarding the circumstances of persons applying for re-housing. Each case
necessitated investigation by a sanitary inspector before the enquirer could be provided with a report
to assist him in assessing the degree of priority to be given to the various applicants.
Housing of Persons from Abroad.—In view of the great shortage of housing accommodation in this
country and the need for preventing overcrowding wherever possible, the Borough Council last year
drew the attention of the Metropolitan Boroughs' Standing Joint Committee to the desirability of
some procedure to ensure that a local authority was given an opportunity of expressing views on the
adequacy or otherwise of accommodation proposed to be offered to persons who intended entering
this country from abroad. Representations of the Standing Joint Committee on this matter were
duly considered by the Minister of Health who stated that the procedure agreed in the case of sponsored
immigration from Cyprus (whereby the Commissioner for Cyprus consults the relative local authority
before the families are permitted to take up residence in England) would involve much practical
difficulty, particularly as it is not possible to prevent British subjects from coming here if they wish
to do so. The Minister also contended that aliens, whose entry into this country is strictly controlled,
can only cause overcrowding in a few isolated instances and, as regards workmen from Eire, applicants
for work in England are now advised of the difficulties of obtaining accommodation for their families
in this country. The Minister added that further discussions on the general problems of the matter
were being held with other Government Departments and that the difficulties of metropolitan borough
councils would be borne in mind.