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Housing Survey
The Mi.nis.ter of Housing and Local Government directed last
August that all local authorities throughout the country should
within a year, submit to him proposals for dealing with houses
which are unfit for human habitation and with any other houses
within the district, which in the opinion of the authority are
or ought to be included in clearance areas.
The preliminary survey of houses in the Borough has been
completed and it is estimated at first glance that almost 200
houses are of such category as to be unfit for human habitation.
These houses will be considered by the appropriate committee as
to the best method of dealing with them and how soon they can be
dealt with.
This figure of 200 by no means covers the exact extent of the
housing problem. Wood Green is a fairly built-up area and in
order to obtain sites for building it may be necessary to purchase
houses unfit to a lesser degree as well as other properties
in close proximity to the proposed clearance areas. Compulsory
Purchase Orders would have to be made at the same time as the
clearance areas were declared. In a good number of the houses
declared unfit there is more than one family residing and this
greatly adds to the number of new dwellings which will be
required.
The Moselle Brook
Early in 1954 the Wood Green Borough Council received notifi
cation that the Moselle Brook which passed through Wood Green,
was being grossly contaminated by the discharge of soil water
from sinks, baths lavatory basins and some water closets. The
Council quite rightly took a serious view of the matter and
decided that immediate action was necessary to eliminate the
sources of pollution
For this purpose two Sanitary Inspectors were engaged in a
temporary capacity in March 1954 They have been assisted by
two men each from the Borough Engineer & Surveyor s department
in this work. The method of procedure is as follows
In order to trace the flow of drains the Sanitary Inspector
uses various kinds of concentrated coloured powder which is placed
in the drains at any convenient opening. Both sets of drains
surface water and soil are tested at the same time A cover to
the inspection chamber of the soil sewer is removed and the
coloured water awaited. Only in this manner is it possible to
trace the correct flow of sewage.
I submit below a summary of the work carried out during the
year in question.Besides the Notices served to remedy the defective
drainage advice was given to owners or their representatives
at interviews and the work done in accordance with such Notices,
supervised Re-inspections were made in all cases in order to
enforce the conditions of the Notices, in this respect, it was
found necessary in a number of instances to make several calls
before the work was completed.
The Moselle Brook was once an open watercourse as it passed
through Wood Green. It is now completely piped in and covered,
but a part which passes through the Tottenham recreation ground
is still open for a considerable distance.
Access to the culvert is gained at the end of Westbury Avenue
and all inlets to the Brook from Wood Green are periodically
tested by Inspectors from the Lea Conservancy Board.
It is worthy of mention I think, that the Moselle Brook
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