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107
The experience gained from these cases has served to show that with
comparatively little alteration a considerable proportion of the underground
rooms at present illegally occupied could be made to comply with the conditions
enabling them to be used for sleeping purposes.
The wisdom, however, of confining action regarding underground rooms
entirely, or in the main, to those rooms rendered vacant by reason of alternative
accommodation being offered by the London County Council has been
questioned. In the first place the tenant who is accepted by the County
Council is likely to vacate one of the better rather than one of the worse
underground rooms, and in the second, the procedure of calling upon owners
to affect alterations or to close rooms only when initiative is take by the
London County Council in this way, is open to the criticism of being arbitrary
and unfair.
For these reasons it was decided to refer the whole question of action to
be taken regarding underground rooms to a Joint Sub-Committee of the
Housing and Health Committees, and at the time of writing the matter awaits
the recommendations of this Sub-Committee.
County of London (Drysdale Street) Housing Confirmation Order,
1933.
The area to which this Order relates is substantially the same as that
represented in 1919 by my predecessor, and as that which I myself represented
in 1929. It was again represented, this time by an Officer of the London
County Council, and at its meeting on 23rd May the London County Council
declared the area in question to be a Clearance Area within the meaning of
Section I of the Housing Act, 1930. A Ministry of Health enquiry regarding
the scheme was held at the Town Hall on 31st October, and the confirming
order was made on 21st December.
In this Order the following lands are included within the Clearance
Area : —
Windsor Place. Part of public street and dust shoots; Nos. 4, 8 to 24
inclusive; land and ruins adjoining 25; No. 25.
Drysdale Place. Public street (part of), Nos. 1 to 24 inclusive; 26, 28,
30, 32.
Sarah Street. Public street (part of) 1 to 26 inclusive, and builders'
store between 5 and 6.
Crooked Billet Yard. Public and private street (part of) 2 to 8 inclusive.
Eliza Place. Public street, Nos. 1 to 12 inclusive.
Drysdale Street. Public street (part of) Nos. 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18,
18a, 20, 22, 24.