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the cubic space per head has been less than that laid down in the Byelaws respecting
houses let in lodgings allowed by the Local Government Board in October, 1912,
viz.:—
Sleeping rooms ... Not less than 300 cubic feet free air space per head per
person over 10 years of age.
Not less than 150 cubic feet free air space per head per
person under 10 years of age.
Rooms used for Not less than 400 cubic feet free air space per head per
both living and person over 10 years of age.
sleeping. Not less than 200 cubic feet free air space per head per
person under 10 years of age.
There is no vacant land available in Shoreditch on which new houses or dwellings
can be built, and vacant houses or rooms are extremely rare and quickly become
re-tenanted.
The question of the cause of the overcrowding accordingly resolves itself into
the question of why a population of close upon 100,000 is compelled to seek housing
accommodation in this small area.
The reasons for this are historical, economic and vocational. Last century the
population of Shoreditch was greater than it is to-day, and consisted of a densely
crowded working class population in the South of the Borough, which clustered round
the business premises and workshops in and adjoining the City, and a more prosperous
residential population in the Northern part.
Gradually the business premises have replaced the slums adjoining the City,
and the more prosperous residents have moved further afield. The result has been
that Shoreditch is now chiefly inhabited by members of the working classes. The
number of houses originally designed for one family and now occupied by two or more
families, without having been adapted for this purpose, must be in the neighbourhood
of 6,000.
The rents of a large proportion of the lettings in the Borough are fixed under the
Rent Restriction Acts, and are thus lower than rents for corresponding unrestricted
accommodation elsewhere. This fact and the additional expense in the form of fares
to which a home away from the area would render them liable, combine to exert
economic pressure upon those living under crowded or otherwise unsatisfactory
housing conditions to remain where they are.
Reference has been made to the steady growth of business premises in the South
of the Borough. This now extends along the South-west border, and but for the
Rent Restriction Acts, would have been much more rapid.
The inhabitants of working age living in Shoreditch are largely employed in these
business premises, or in adjoining areas, and when out of employment they hope to
obtain work in or near their homes. Thus, whether in work or out of work, the
presence of an industrial area in close proximity is a further and strong inducement
to those of working age to remain in the locality.