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41
previous section, sufficiently light and ventilate the basement, the rest of the
open space may be covered in up to the level of the ceiling of the ground
storey. And, also excepting that where there is no basement storey, and the
ground storey is not intended for habitation, the space may be entirely
covered in to the level of the ceiling of the ground storey.
The open space must extend along the entire rear front of the building to a
depth of at least ten feet.
Then follow rules for limiting the height of buildings in relation to the
space in the rear. The principle upon which these rules are based being that
no part of the building shall extend above an imaginary "diagonal line"
drawn from the rear boundary of the site at ground level in the direction of
and over the premises at an angle of 63½ degrees to the horizontal, or 26½
degrees to the perpendioular. This means that the height of a new building
must not exceed twice the width of the open space exclusively belonging to
it at the rear, so that in the case of a double row of houses the open space
between them at the rear will equal the height of the houses, just as the width
of the street in front will be equal to (or greater than) the height of the houses
on either side in streets less than fifty feet wide laid out since 1862.
The foregoing applies to new domestic buildings in new streets. In old
streets the " diagonal line," instead of starting at ground level from the rear
boundary, starts sixteen feet above ground level, and below this sixteen-feet
line the open space may be covered in.
Section forty-two lays down certain rules with reference to the provision of
open space about artizans dwelling houses not on the public way, the London
County Council have power to approve or disapprove of the amount of open
space provided in the plans of such buildings. In sub-section two of the
previous section there is also an important provision in reference to open
space about new dwelling houses to be occupied by the working classes, these
buildings, even when abutting on old streets, being required to have an open
space provided of not less than one hundred and fifty square feet, to extend
along the entire rear front to a depth of at least ten feet, and any structure
but a water-closet and dust-bin being prohibited from erection thereon.
By section forty-three new domestic buildings on old sites (except dwelling
houses for the working classes) may occupy the same area of land as the old
buildings, but no more, and will have to conform to the requirements as to
the angle limiting the height.
By section forty-four the Council may relax the foregoing provisions in the
case of new streets on old areas.
Section forty-five requires the provision of a horizontal opening at the bottom
of every shaft or court open at the top, but enclosed on every side by domestic
buildings. It also enacts that no habitable rooms, required to be solely lighted
from such an enclosed shaft or court, shall be constructed in any buildings if
the wall of the shaft opposite the window exceed in height twice the width of
the court. It further enacts that in a shaft or court enclosed only on three
sides, the width of which is less than one-half the depth, no habitable room
(above the ground floor) required to be solely lighted from such a shaft or
court shall be constructed in any building, unless the wall of the shaft opposite