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19
SECTION D.
HOUSING
Number of new houses erected during the year.
385 houses were completed during the year by private builders.
The Council's own housing scheme produced a total of 193 dwellings
during the year comprising 108 two-bedroomed maisonettes, 8 aged
persons' bungalows and 77 houses. These latter included a doctor's
residence and surgery for each of the Dovers and Elm Park Estates.
Overcrowding.
Opportunity is taken when enquiring into the circumstances of
housing applicants for medical priority to investigate the presence
of possible overcrowding and as some 194 visits for this purpose were
made during the year the overcrowding position was kept reasonably
under review.
Six cases of overcrowding were reported to the Council during
the year.
Unfit Houses.
Some four old and dilapidated houses were represented for demolition
during the year.
We propose shortly to review the position of such sub-standard
houses as previous surveys have shown to us to exist. In the meantime
we have pursued our policy of individual demolitions of the worst
and often isolated properties. Many of the relatively few sub-standard
dwellings which exist in this district are occupied by aged individuals
or couples—in many cases because they have been there a lifetime
and in others doubtless because of the low rentals. It is a heavy
responsibility to initiate action which will uproot aged persons from a
lifelong environment to which they may have become attached even
although such action is taken on the grounds of hygiene. It is certain
that anything approaching a normal Council house rent could only
ensure hardship for these people and it has therefore been and will
continue to be our policy to go very carefully into the circumstances
of each case before we recommend action which will result in the vacation
of the property. This of course does not mean that such sub-standard
properties are going to remain up permanently because experience
has shown and will continue to show that the problem can be resolved
equally radically, if less speedily, by more protracted methods.
' Week-End ' Dwellings.
In certain parts of our district notably Rainham and perhaps
to a somewhat lesser extent, Cranham, there exist so called "weekend
bungalows" to which in the past were attracted seekers after
such rural amenities as those parts of the district then possessed and
who probably occupied the structures for the most part during weekends
under favourable conditions. Time and circumstance have
however decreed that far from merely being used at weekends by
their owners they have subsequently tended to be used as full-time
habitations not only by the owners but in some instances have been
let to tenants. This is a state of affairs which is just not good enough