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such advances or grants is exercised at the discretion of the local authority, and when the work is
completed the house must comply with an accepted standard and still have an appreciable useful
life.
The House Purchase and Housing Act 1959, designed to supplement the previous grant provisions,
enables local authorities to make advances for house purchase up to the full value of
the property. The Act as amended by the Housing Acts of 1961 and 1964 also places a duty on
the local authority to make grants towards the cost of improving older houses which still have a
reasonable life and which at present lack standard amenities in the form of hot water supply,
fixed bath or shower, wash hand basin, inside water closet, and a proper food store. As a
matter of policy, inspections are made of older properties in the Borough which are found to be of
a type lending themselves to improvement and which are not included in the Department's
improvement area programme. Every effort is made in these cases to persuade either the landlord
or the owner/occupier to carry out the appropriate improvements with the financial aid available
under the terms of the improvement grants scheme.
The Borough Engineer and Surveyor approves applications for Discretionary and Standard
Improvement Grants and in each case the Department is consulted on the condition and future
life of the property.
During the year, 12 Discretionary Grants and 65 Standard Grants were paid. This included
only tenanted properties.
Improvement Areas
At the end of 1966 the Council had agreed, as a pilot scheme, to designate Prospect Road,
Childs Hill, N.W.2., as an Improvement Area under Part II of the Housing Act 1964. This comprised
one complete road of thirty-eight terraced houses, identical in type, and constructed so
as to lend themselves readily to improvement to the full standard.
After the official declaration of the area an informal approach on the lines indicated in
Ministry of Housing and Local Government Circular No. 53/64 was made in respect of all
improvable dwellings, both tenanted and owner/occupied. The significance of what the Local
Authority was doing was explained and attention drawn to the financial assistance available
in the form of Standard Grant. Although there was initial reluctance on the part of some tenants
to accept improvement on the grounds of rent increase, disturbance and inconvenience, consent
was finally given in all but one case.
By the end of the year efforts to secure improvement on a voluntary basis showed encouraging
success. Two owner/occupiers were not prepared to do the work because of lack of funds or
advancing years, and in the case of one tenanted house formal action was commenced because of
a dispute between leaseholder and freeholder. In all other cases either improvement to provide
full standard amenities had been completed or arrangements were in hand for carrying out
the work.
Detailed surveys were also completed of two further areas at Gratton Terrace and Brent
Terrace, Cricklewood, each of which contained approximately one hundred small two storey
terraced properties which were suitable for improvement. The estates, originally constructed
to provide housing accommodation for railway workers, had recently passed into private
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