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The Compulsory Purchase Orders which were confirmed during the year were confirmed without modification
except for 4 "Grey" houses where the sites were held to be unnecessary for the proper redevelopment of the
area. Four houses were re-classified as "not unfit", three of these being owner occupied.
The considerations upon which the fitness or unfitness for habitation of a house is assessed remains as indicated
in Section 4(1) of the Housing Act, 1957 with the amendment of the Housing Act, 1969 concerning the internal
arrangement added. There is some evidence however that, for various reasons, the general expectation in regard
to quality of dwelling accommodation is at a higher level than heretofore. Rising incomes, the widespread
publicity relating to the housing stock, the example of new building projects both public and private where
houses are in good condition, dry and with modern and convenient facilities all influence the outlook of people
presently obliged to live in poor housing conditions and tends to make them less tolerant of sub-standard
accommodation with the attendant inconvenience and frustrations. It is clear that, for example, disrepair
which might have been tolerated by the occupants of houses years ago is now regarded as unreasonable and
its continuance a matter of resentment. A further example is the outside water closet which 10 years ago might
have been considered readily accessible, now it is not.
The "twilight" house, that is, the sub-standard house which is structurally of poor quality or is of unsuitable
design for rehabilitation and not yet so unsound as to warrant immediate Part III clearance, remains a problem
not discernably diminished as the years pass.
The constant deterioration of buildings, the lack of adequate maintenance and a heightening expectation in
regard to quality of accommodation give rise to the continued existence of a large body of unsatisfactory
dwellings in which people must live for many years with a doubt as to a successful outcome of remedial
efforts within the foreseeable future. Many dwelling units of long term good quality are urgently required and
with the strengthening interpretation of Section 4(1) of the Housing Act, 1957 on the one hand and the
provisions for rehabilitation outlined in the Housing Act, 1969 on the other, the way is indicated leading to a
reduction of the "Twilight" band of houses and to a line of demarcation between buildings suitable for clearance
and those for early repair and improvement.
The following dwellings were the subjects of closing orders or demolition orders made during the year. These were
houses or parts of houses which were unfit for human habitation which could not be made fit at reasonable
expense: —
157 Hornsey Park Road N.8 16 Ennis Road N.4
140 Cornwall Road N.15 48 Endymion Road N.4
67 Lothair Road N.4 88 Upper Tollington Park N.4
1 & 2 Francis Place N.6 4 Northwood Road N.6
587 Seven Sisters Road N.15 81 West Green Road N.15
As adequate repair works had been executed, the closing order relating to part of the under-noted house was
determined during the year: —
28 Avenue Road N.15
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