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49
HOUSING AND TOWN-PLANNING COMMITTEE.
The Housing and Town Planning Committee has been in a state of
suspended animation for the past- two years. However, they met on April
25th, and re-elected Councillor Cadman as their Chairman.
ARTERIAL ROADS.
On the 23rd May, Councillor Cadman reported on a Conference he had
attended with our Engineer on the 19th May, at the Middlesex Guildhall,
when the line of the new Cambridge Road was agreed; also of the north
circular road through Angel Road and Silver Street to Bowes Road, Southgate.
The Conference made two important suggestions to the Government
(see Minutes, pages 112-113). One was ' That all practicable steps should
be immediately taken to induce Local Authorities to secure the reservation of
the necessary land for main roads by the exercise of their powers under the
Housing and Town-Planning, etc., Act, 1909."
The purport of the other is condensed in the last paragraph :—This
Conference is desirous of recording its opinion that it is imperative that
steps should be immediately taken through the Local Government Board, or
other Authority, to secure the routes of such new and improved thoroughfares
as are set forth in the important traffic proposals contained in the report of
the Conference on Arterial Roads in Greater London."
At a Conference in July it was decided that a deputation from Greater
London should ask Mr. Asquith (Prime Minister) to give a guarantee that
compensation would be paid, if the arterial roads suggested by the Local
Government Board were included in the town-planning schemes of Greater
London.
In October the Engineer was instructed by the Works Committee to
prepare a register of all lands belonging to the Council.
TOWN-PLANNING CONFERENCE.
A Congress to consider housing problems after the war was held from
11th to the 14th April, at Caxton Hall. For Edmonton, Councillor Cadman
(Chairman of the Housing and Town-Planning Committee), the Architect,
the Engineer and the M.O.H. were appointed representatives. On the 3rd
May I reported the proceedings to the Sanitary Committee. The one point
so frequently impressed on the representatives was the wisdom of utilising
the present time in preparing town plans and housing schemes, so that the
authorities may be at once prepared to carry them out when this great war
has come to an end. A deputation appointed by the Conference met Mr. Long,