View report page

55
The area covers about 4 acres, and consists of 293 houses with a population
of about 1,351 people. 23 houses were unoccupied, 33 were used for
business premises only, and the remaining 235 were occupied by members of
the working classes.
The houses are not all equally bad—some are much worse than others.
Most of the houses in Bell Lane, Wentworth Court and Wentworth Street
were probably built previous to 1800, and the remainder between 1800 and
1850.
The Ministry of Health held a public inquiry at the St. George's Town
Hall on October 29th, 1920. The inquiry lasted three days, but the result
is not yet known. No communication of any kind has since been received
from the Ministry of Health on the matter.
In this area there aire nearly thirty houses which were purchased by the
Postmaster-General nearly 10 years ago for the purpose of constructing a
Telephone Exchange. Sixteen of the houses have been unoccupied for many
years, viz., ten in Butler Street, three in Tenter Street and three in Freeman
Street. At the time they became vacant, 8 or 9 years ago, they were in a
fair condition, but after the lapse of so many years they have become dilapidated,
and no doubt it would cost a considerable sum of money to put
them in a haibitable condition. In the meantime they have been empty, and
for over two years, the Ministry of Health have been silent as to whether a
clearance or re-housing scheme is to be approved under the Housing and Town
Planning Act. The remaining houses in the area are becoming worse because
the owners refuse to spend money on property which they believe will be
demolished without compensation. Included in this area aire Shepherd
Street Buildings, consisting of 42 apartments with shops underneath. The
buildings are badly built and ill-lighted. The washhouses on the second,
third, fourth and fifth floors were condemned as dangerous structures by the
District Surveyor eight or nine years ago, and are now in a dismantled condition.
This resulted in eight of the flats or apartments being empty and
inaccessible, due to the passage to them being demolished. The owner refused
to reconstruct the demolished part of the buildings, and to put the property
in habitable condition because of the "uncertainty of the result of the Ministry
of Health's inquiry of 1920." He says that he does not feel justified in laying
out any large sum of money-
[b) Back Church Lane Area.—The official representation was
made on August 6th, 1919.