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1934] 68
Borough Council made an Order requiring clearance in March 1934, and the Ministry
of Health Local Enquiry was held in April. Confirmation of the Order (subject to
minor modifications) was received in July, and 391 persons displaced were offered
accommodation in the Borough's Housing Scheme provided for the decanted persons,
that is, Wakelin House.
WAKELIN HOUSE.
An area approximately 61,200 square feet in Sehbon Street (occupied originally
by 26 dwelling houses, 19 of which were vacant) was purchased in July, 1933, from
the Marquess of Northampton's Trust for £8,000. On this were erected two blocks of
buildings five storeys in height—comprising 109 " balcony type " flats—with brick
modern Georgian elevations, relieved by white plaster panels, stone cornices and
strings, all resting upon a rusticated red brick base; the street aspect matches the
Borough Council's Tyndale Mansions. The elevations to the inner courtyards are
of sand lime bricks. The North Block consists of 18 three-bedroom and 56 twobedroom
flats, while the South has 13 three-bedroom and 22 two-bedroom fiats.
The accommodation has been reserved for families from the Church Lane Clearance
Area, and in selected cases from other property dealt with by Order under the
Housing Acts, and underground rooms illegally occupied.
DECANTATION OF FAMILIES FROM THE CLEARANCE AREA
TO THE NEW PREMISES PROVIDED.
It is of the utmost importance that every care should be taken to avoid the
transference from the clearance area to the new houses provided of anything
detrimental, such as bug-infested furniture, pictures, wood, clothing, bedding, etc.
If this work is carefully done at least a period of comparative immunity in the new
houses may be secured. The tendency of people to buy old articles of furniture or
clothing, or to allow infestation through visitors, etc., is always a constant danger and,
of course, is not covered by the precautions taken at the decantation, but if these are
not taken, it is obvious that matters would be very bad indeed. After seriously
considering the matter, the Housing Committee were advised that the best system
was treatment of the bedding and clothing by steam under pressure (which was done
at the Council'sDisinfectingStation), and with regard to the furniture of the individual
tenants removing into the new premises, the disinfestation of this by cyanide gas.
This was arranged for by contract, and the consent of all the tenants previously obtained.
During the actual process the van in which the treatment was carried out was
left at the Council's Cleansing Department's Depot in Liverpool Road in an isolated
position, and guarded. To ensure that there was co-operation between the tenants,
the removal contractor and the disinfestation contractor, the work was supervised by
the District Sanitary Inspector of the Medical Officer of Health's Department, the
total time devoted by him to this work being 56 hours, distributed over fifteen days,
the time varying from one hour to six hours per day, the general average being about
four hours per day. As regards the articles, bedding, etc., treated by steam under
pressure, 335 bundles, comprising 1768 articles, were treated.
OTHER REPRESENTATIONS.
In November the Medical Officer of Health represented to the Housing Committee
10 small clearance areas under Part 1 of the Housing Act 1930, one of these representations,
being in two parts. These representations, with the exception of one which
if forming part of a larger London County Council Scheme, come up for consideration
in 1935.