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24
During the year one case was heard at the Romford Court
appealing against the use of a caravan on a refuse tip and the Court
upheld the decision of the Local Authority.
Land Charges Enquiries.
During the year 4,594 land charges enquiries were referred to
the department regarding the question of outstanding sanitary
notices.
Housing Repairs and Rents Act, 1954.
It will be seen from the tables given earlier that in fact we have
made substantial progress in dealing with our sub-standard
dwellings, either through individual or area procedure. We have
also been fortunate enough in securing when in certain instances
houses which in due course would have been represented for demolition
have become empty and have by arrangement with the owners
been allowed to remain empty. It is of course true that our path
towards the goal of slum erasure has been made simpler by reason
of the potential development of the areas occupied by sub-standard
dwellings and this doubtless accounts in large measure for the lack
of opposition evinced on occasion by owners on our plans being
made known to them. The main point, however, is that the substandard
dwelling should be got rid of as speedily as possible and the
greater facility with which this can be achieved the better.
Temporary Accommodation.
The 'week-end bungalow' dwelling is still with us in the
Rainham and Cranham areas although increasing development in
both these areas is tending to reduce the size of the problem. In
spite of that, however, so long as these "dwellings" exist and can
be let to anyone so long will they tend to offer a temptation as a
cheap form of permanent habitation—a role for which they were
never intended and for which in the main they are quite unfit. I
cannot really say therefore that the situation is no longer a source of
concern to me but I can say that it is becoming less so as time goes
on.
The annual review of the position made for purposes of this
report does also show the substantial progress which in quite difficult
times has been made over the nost-war period.
Sub-Standard Accommodation.
Following upon our survey of the district we have now
proceeded officially to represent certain areas and to deal with the
possibility of providing alternative accommodation for the
occupants.
Up to the end of the year we had in 1955 represented '28 houses
in areas and 8 individually.
Our progress in this regard is likely to be steady and our programme
for ridding the district substantially of sub-standad accommodation
is likely to be completed within the five years period
originally specified.