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Drainage and Sanitary Conveniences - Surface drainage impeded by
broken and sunken paving of yards, and roof drainage inadequate. At a
number of houses the main drainage system is defective.
With a few exceptions already referred to, W. C. s are inconveniently
situated in yards and often badly sited, with little, if any, privacy.
In 22 houses the only available W. C. is shared by more than one family.
Facilities for Storage, Preparation and Cooking of Food and
Disposal of Waste Water. (See Plates Nos.10 and 11) - Most houses
are without food storage accommodation with ventilation to the external
air. Facilities for the preparation of food are generally inadequate.
Because of restricted accommodation and absence of bathrooms, the
scullery sinks and water supply must be used for general domestic
requirements, including bodily cleansing, as well as for the preparation
of food.
Bad Arrangement (See Plates Nos.4-13) - Many of the houses are
badly arranged on the site, obstructing free admission of natural light
and impeding the circulation of air.
The majority of the houses are badly arranged internally, staircases
often constitute a danger to the occupants by reason of their
position, construction, and inadequate lighting.
Other typical forms of bad arrangement are houses entered direct
from street or forecourt, rooms inter-communicating, ground floor rooms
at different levels, fuel storage cupboards beneath stairs and entered
from living rooms, and room accommodation cramped and congested.
General Observations - The houses are between seventy and one
hundred years old and are outworn to such a degree as to be beyond any
material improvement short of demolition and re-building. They are
obsolete in design, badly arranged internally and/or externally, deficient
in amenities now regarded as essential, and fall seriously short of the
general standard of housing in the district.
The Crescent Road and Beaumont Road areas mark the beginning of a long-term programme
of slum clearance and re-development in the Borough and, as many years must
elapse before its fulfilment, it is inevitable - owing to the shortage of alternative
housing accommodation, and the scarcity of land on which to build new houses - that a
substantial proportion of the 1,500 or more houses reported to the Minister pursuant
to Section 1 of the Housing Repairs and Rents Act, 1954, as being unfit for habitation
and liable to be dealt with under Section 17 (demolition) and/or Section 42 (clearance
areas) of the Housing Acts, will have to be retained and maintained for housing purposes
for many years to come. The Public Health Committee will therefore be faced for an
indefinite period with the problem of enforcing essential repairs to insanitary
properties.
RODENT AND INSECT PEST CONTROL
In order to meet its obligations under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949,
a Local Authority must maintain an organisation adequate to requirements for effective
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