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18
Slum Clearance.
The position at the close of the year in regard to the Council's slum clearance programme was as
follows:—
Cochrane Street, 9/11 Site scheduled for redevelopment with adjacent lands
incorporated. Compulsory Purchase Order made. Public
Inquiry held. Confirmation of Order awaited.
Broadley/Penfold Street Site scheduled for redevelopment with additional lands
Ashbridge Street (East) incorporated. A number of purchases have been made by
Freshwater Place and Homer Row voluntary arrangement. Negotiations for remainder in
progress.
Mulready Street area Site inspections proceeding. Two premises purchased by
voluntary negotiations.
Wells Buildings
Burne Street Clearance areas declared.
Cato Street
Abbey Gardens Mews Representations by Medical Officer of Health planned for
Rathbone Street January, 1958.
Thirteen further unfit dwellings included in the programme have been closed or demolished.
Factory-made Bungalows.
A further 8 factory-made bungalows were released during the year, leaving twenty-four families
still in this type of accommodation.
Requisitioned Premises.
The Council provisionally approved a programme for securing the release of requisitioned premises
in the Borough by exchanging their present interest for freehold or leasehold interests or, in some cases,
by transferring the premises to the owners with the present occupiers remaining as private tenants.
During the year, 24 premises and families were transferred to the owners, making a total over the years
1957/58 of 139 transferred premises. Negotiations are in progress for the purchase or lease of a
substantial number of premises so as to comply with the provisions of the Requisitioned Houses and
Housing (Amendment) Act, 1955, which terminates the Council's powers to retain requisitioned
premises on the 31st March, 1960. The total number of requisitioned units held by the Council at the
end of the year was 655.
Dwelling-Houses.
Statistics regarding the inspection of dwelling-houses under the Public Health or Housing Acts,
defects remedied and action taken under statutory powers are contained in Table 13, page 35.
Certificates of Disrepair.
The Rent Act, 1957, came into operation on the 6th July. It provides for a tenant of a controlled
tenancy to apply for a certificate of disrepair where a landlord has not remedied, or undertaken to
remedy, defects specified in a notice served on him by the tenant. The procedure for issuing and
cancelling certificates, although similar to that for the Housing Repairs and Rents Act, 1954, requires
a local authority to send a landlord notice of a proposal to issue a certificate, and to notify the tenant
of a proposal to cancel a certificate. In addition the local authority can accept a landlord's undertaking
to remedy defects.
Applications for the issue or cancellation of certificates were dealt with by the Town Clerk and
referred to the Medical Officer of Health for attention. A public health inspector visited each of
the premises concerned and on his report the Medical Officer of Health was able to recommend
appropriate action.
There were 31 applications for certificates and in 28 cases it was proposed to issue them. In fact,
9 certificates were issued and 19 undertakings accepted from landlords. There was one application
by a landlord for cancellation of a certificate.
During the earlier part of the year one application for a certificate of disrepair under the Housing
Repairs and Rents Act was received, but the Medical Officer of Health was unable to recommend
its issue.