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(3) Important changes in population in the last 5 years.
The population has increased from 56,045 to
66,922, the increase being mainly due to the building
of villas for sale and the occupation of these villas
by immigrants.
The district contains a very large undeveloped
and rapidly developing area and it seems almost certain
that this development will continue on the same
lines leading to an increase of the population of about
2,000 to 3,000 per annum. The opening of the
Hendon extension of the Underground Railway in
November, 1923, and the Edgware extension in
August, 1924, gave a great fillip to this process.
In addition, the London County Council in their
Watling Estate Housing Scheme propose to build
2,000 houses in the district in the next two years
and 4,200 in the next five years, the latter figure
being equivalent, no doubt, to an additional 20,000
population.
There is also the probability that new factories
will be established in the district leading to an increase
in the working class population if housing
accommodation is available.
(II) OVERCROWDING.
(1) Extent.
The Census figures of 1921 indicated that there
were 531 families living under conditions of more
than two persons per room. I do not think that the
position has materially altered since then. The
action of the Council in providing 282 houses has
done something towards easing the situation but I
doubt if it has done much more than prevent it from
becoming worse than it was in 1921. Enquiries
made by the Sanitary Inspector in 1923 indicated
that the letting of 61 Council Houses to West Hendon
families had reduced the number of cases of overcrowding
in the houses vacated by these families by
20. But it is only too probable that some of this
benefit has already been counteracted by further subletting
and by increase in the size of families,