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38
The year 1930 saw the completion of the erection of the
Bccontrec Housing Estate in the Dagenham area and the cessation
of the rapid expansion of the district. Flanking the Estate on the
eastern side is a large area of hitherto undeveloped land, of which
it seems, much is shortly to be built on. On the eastern boundary
of this portion runs the Beam Valley, which is now being sewered,
so aiding building developments on that side. At the northern
end of this, development has already taken place.
The Ford Motor Company's factory in the southern portion
of the district will shortly be demanding thousands of hands—to
say nothing of the auxiliary factories which this will naturally
attract. Whether or not any large proportion of employees is
recruited from the local residents, it seems that there must be
much importation of persons needing to be housed. Private
enterprise, either in or outside the district, will probably be prepared
to meet this demand, and it seems certain that much of the
at present undeveloped land will, in the comparatively near future,
be used as housing sites.
3. Overcrowding.
There is comparatively little serious overcrowding in this
area. Amongst the old property a certain amount has been caused
by the growing up of the families. More, however, takes place in
the newer private property.
In assessing overcrowding, notice is taken of the cubic capacity
per head and of facilities for separation of the sexes at night.
Part of the overcrowding arises from the difficulty of obtaining
houses to rent: but in some of the new houses particularly,
sub-letting occurs to enable the tenants to pay the rent.
Overcrowding in the Council houses or in the Estate houses
has been dealt with by referring to the Authority concerned, who
can take action under the tenancy agreement. Action in the case
of old standing overcrowding has largely been deferred, pending
the erection, by the Local Authority, of new houses.
With respect to the occupation of the Estate houses, there are
objections to the standards adopted by the London County Council,
namely, that in calculations, children under 5 are ignored, those
between 5 and 10 counted as half adult and those over 10 as adults.
Children under 5 remain at home all day, whereas those over 5 are
at school; and at night time the requirements of children under 5
are little less than of those over that age. To assess a child of 9