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BOUNDARIES OF THE CLEARANCE AREAS AND NUMBER OF BUILDINGS
The three clearance areas are contained within an area bounded
on the north-west by Capworth Street (odd numbers), on the southeast
by Burchell Road and Skelton's Lane (odd numbers), on the
south-west by Clyde Place, and on the north-east by the branch
line of British Railways (London Midland Region).
Altogether, there are 160 dwelling houses, including 8 dwelling
houses which are used, or were formerly used, in part for
business purposes. The total population of the 157 unfit houses
in the clearance areas and three houses which were included on the
grounds of bad arrangement only, consist of 202 families, comprising
553 persons. The average number of persons per houses is 3.5.
Statutory overcrowding did not exist at any of the houses.
TYPE AND DESCRIPTION OF DWELLING HOUSES
The majority of houses in the Areas are situated in terraces,
the exceptions being Nos. 108/110, 158, 160, 164, 166, 174/176,
Beaumont Road; 115/117 Capworth Street; 78/80 and 88 Sophia Road
which are semi-detached; Nos.207 Beaumont Road and la King Street
which are detached; and Nos.186 Beaumont Road, 1 Clyde Place and
29 Sophia Road which are built in a block of three. Apart from
nine three-storied houses (Nos.141-155 Capworth Street and No.1
Clyde Place), all the properties are of the two-storey type with
single or two-storey back additions, except 21 houses which have
no back additions. All houses have through ventilation, except
Nos. 164, 166, 168, 170, 174, 176 Beaumont Road and la King Street,
which are of the blank back type with through vent. on the ground
floor only; all have yard space at rear, except la King Street
which has space at the front and sides only. Frontages vary from
4ft. (106 Skelton's Lane) to 35ft. 13 houses (including 2 shops
with living accommodation) have no forecourts; the depth of forecourts
to the remainder varies from 4'6" to 23". The construction
is traditional- brick walls, slated or tiled pitched or central
valley gutter roofs, timber floors (with the exception of some
scullery floors which are of concrete) and joinery work, plaster
walls and ceilings. With the exception of 31 houses, W. C. s are
situated externally. Internal accommodation varies from 3 rooms
including scullery to 8 rooms. 18 houses have bathrooms, of which
2 are converted sculleries, 8 are lean-to's entered from sculleries,
and 2 are externally entered out-buildings. Mains water supply is
provided over scullery sinks. 13 houses have no internal halls or
passages, so that living rooms are inter-communicating and entered
direct from the street or forecourt. At 23 houses, staircases
rise from living rooms.
PRINCIPAL GROUNDS OF UNFITNESS FOR HABITATION
Following is a summary of the principal grounds for being
satisfied that the houses coloured pink on the map are unfit for
habitation. The majority of the under-mentioned defects exist in
varying degrees at all houses.
Stability (See Plates Nos.3, 4, 7 and 12)- Evidence of uneven
settlement- brickwork of rear and front elevations bulged and/or
fractured out of plumb and alignment, brickwork courses out of
level, window and door openings out of square, sills fractured,
roofs sagging, floors out of level, excessive vibration in floors.
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