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65
Housing Acts.—In tabular form is shown below a detailed statement of the
specific action taken under the Housing Acts during the year :—

General Observations as to Housing Conditions.—The commonest type of
dwelling in London is that of six to eight rooms, whereas in Woolwich the most
prevalent type is four to five rooms, and over half the houses in the Borough are
of this size. There are in consequence very few large tenement houses, and so the
evils associated with this type of dwelling exist only in one or two small areas in
the Borough. Nevertheless, inspection of the district has shown that many of
the smaller houses which were built for one family often house two or more families
without being specially adapted for the purpose. It is estimated that there are
over 3,000 houses so used.
As one would expect in an old town like Woolwich there are a certain number
of old houses which have outlived their usefulness and cannot be reconditioned
except at a cost out of all proportion to their worth. As opportunity offers these
are dealt with under the appropriate sections of the Housing Act. One of the
least satisfactory aspects of housing in Woolwich is the continued existence of
hutments which were erected as temporary dwellings in the early years of the War
and which still house a large proportion of the inhabitants. It cannot be seriously
contended, so long as these temporary dwellings exist, that the housing of the
Borough is in a satisfactory state.