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GENERAL PUBLIC HEALTH
THAMES VIEW HOUSING ESTATE
The outstanding event of 1954 was undoubtedly the official
opening of the Thames View Housing Estate by A. S. Charlton, Esq.,
C.B.E., of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government on 12th
June, and by a happy coincidence the Chairman of your Housing
Committee was Mayor at this time.
Since my last annual report was written the Council has decided
to increase the population density on this estate, partly by the erection
of three blocks of multi-story flats. Besides giving greater architectural
variation these will afford you the opportunity of providing for a much
neglected section of the population—the single person living alone and
out working during the day.
It is now anticipated that there will be some 2,000 units of
accommodation with a total population approaching 10,000. In
addition there will be 22 shops, 2 schools, 2 public houses, 2 churches
and a clinic or possibly a health centre.
The photograph on page 8a shows the estate as it was expected
to appear when completed. This together with the following account
appeared in the official souvenir brochure.
"The estate, which will cover some 160 acres, lies immediately
to the south of the Barking Bye-Pass and to the east of River Road,
and is near the River Thames, hence its name. For hundreds of
years this part of Barking has been known as the Ripple Marshes
and the Council have always recognised that the site was far from
ideal.
However, faced with the urgent problem of providing houses
to meet present-day needs and having upwards of 4,000 applications
on its housing list, the Council had no option but to give this
particular site careful consideration as there was no other available
and large enough site in the Borough.
The Council debated for some time the pros and cons of
building on this site, or acquiring land outside the Borough. They
made repeated enquiries for land outside the district but their
negotiations to this end were unsuccessful. Ultimately it came to
the point of deciding whether to make a compulsory purchase order
in respect of and some miles away from Barking or using this site,
which obviously required a considerable amount of money expended
upon it before it could ever be used, for housing purposes.
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