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Drainage and Sanitary Conveniences (See Plates Nos.3, 5. 6.
7 and 12) - 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 the exceptions already referred to, W.C.'s are situated
externally and often badly sited in yards with little privacy. At
43 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- Most houses are without food storage
accommodation with ventilation to the external air, but in 25
cases tenants or owner-occupiers have provided refrigerators.
Bad Arrangement (See Plates Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10 and 11)
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 rooms intercommunicating,
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 70 and 100 years old. They are obsolete
in design, outworn, badly arranged internally and/or externally,
and fall short of the minimum requirements of the Housing Act. In
our opinion the most satisfactory method of dealing with conditions
in the areas is demolition of all buildings in the areas.
The speed at which the Council can proceed with its slum clearance and redevelopment
proposals is related to the availability of alternative housing, which means that
progress must necessarily be long term, and many years must elapse before it is possible
to deal conclusively with a large number of sub-standard properties in the Borough.
This throws a heavy burden on the Public Health Inspectorate, since it means enforcing
essential repairs to insanitary properties which may be considered beyond satisfactory
repair and improvement, for an indefinite period.
BUSINESS PREMISES - GENERAL
In the Borough, there are some 2,100 business premises, comprising factories,
industrial undertakings, food premises, catering establishments, shops etc., involving
2,700 activities, including registration and licensing. All these premises come within
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