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Purchase in Advance of Council's Requirements
Requests by the Chief Valuation Officer for classification of houses included in the Council's
Provisional Clearance Programme and which were offered to the Council in advance of requirement
were received and replies forwarded after investigation.
Routine matters such as replies to "searches" interviewing members of the public, and office
administration were attended to throughout the year.
Improvement Areas
Thedetails set out below show the position at the end of 1968 of areas which have been declared
Improvement Areas under Part II of the Housing Act 1964.
Uplands Road, IM.8.
During the year two further privately tenanted dwellings and one owner occupied dwelling were
each improved to the full standard by the provision of a bath or shower, internal water closet, basin
and hot water.
Since the declaration of the area in July, 1965 and by the close of the year the Council had
acquired by agreement 11 houses in the road. One of these was converted into two self-contained
fully equipped flats during 1967 and during 1968 works to convert seven more houses each into two
self-contained dwellings were well advanced.
At the close of the year 13 suspended notices and one immediate notice were outstanding. The
suspended notices mean that the occupiers have refused improvement and no works can be executed
unless the tenants no longer refuse or there is a change in occupation.
Arnold Road, N.15.
During the year 9 dwellings were each improved to the full standard by the provision of internal
water closets, bathrooms and hot water. Three of these were carried out voluntarily by owner
occupiers. Two are occupied by private tenants and improvement works were carried out by the
landlord as a result of notices served by the Council. One dwelling is owned and was improved by
the Council. In the case of the other three, immediate improvement notices had been served by the
Council on the owner, but he had failed to take any action during the prescribed time, and the Council
gave authority for the work to be done in default. Plans and specifications of the necessary work
were prepared within the Department and competitive tenders sought. Some repairs were also carried
out at the same time at one of these dwellings.
The Act allows two years from the declaration of the area in May 1966 for the Council to serve
all improvement notices. By the end of May 1968 eleven immediate, 30 suspended and one final
improvement notices had been served and one formal undertaking was accepted. The significance of
suspended notices is explained under the report for Uplands Road. A final notice is served where
previously there had been a suspended notice and either the occupier has cancelled his refusal or
there has been a change of occupier. Both an immediate and a final notice require a landlord to
complete the specified improvement works within 12 months from the expiration of 6 weeks from the
date of the serviceof the notice during which latter time he is allowed to appeal.
At one house occupied by a tenant and sub-tenant the owner professed willingness to improve the
dwelling but was prevented by the tenant's refusal and by the existence of the sub-tenant. The
Council agreed to rehouse both these occupiers on the understanding that the owner would then
improve the house into one or two fully equipped dwellings and the Council would have the right to
nominate the new tenants. By the close of the year the Council had rehoused both tenants and the
owner was taking steps to secure the improvement of the house.
A total of 15 dwellings have now been improved in this areas as the result of Council action.
Homecraft Road N.22 and Clonmell Road N.17 Improvement Areas
These two new improvement areas were declared by resolutions of theCouncil on 29th April,
1968. The former road contains 41 houses and 53 dwellings. 24 of these dwellings already have
facilities to the full standard and, of the remaining 29, 16 are capable of improvement to the full
standard. In Clonmell Road there are 140 houses, all in single occupation. 55 already have full
facilities and all the remaining 85 are capable of full improvement.
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