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With regard to the 12 houses in Havelock Road, the owners decided to
appeal to the County Court against the decision of the Council. This appeal
was heard at the Westminster County Court (having been transferred from
Uxbridge) on June 4th, 1935, and was dismissed, the County Court judge stating
that he did not doubt that the Council were right in their decision.
As with the clearance areas, houses were built in Allenby Road to re-house
tenants displaced from individual unfit houses. The first group of these tenants
was moved into the new houses on the 18th November, 1935.
The Housing Act, 1935.
The Housing Act, 1935, gives for the first time a standard of overcrowding.
When a survey has been completed and after preliminary work has been done
in a district, a day will be appointed after which under certain conditions
overcrowding will become a statutory offence. This Act will undoubtedly prove
a great step forward in dealing with unhealthy housing conditions, but the
standard adopted is extremely lenient. For example, in calculating the number
of persons who may live in a house not only bedrooms but all rooms normally
used as living rooms are included.
In December a survey was started in accordance with Section 1 of the
Act in order to find out the housing conditions generally in the district, and
also to find out the number of houses definitely overcrowded and the number of
houses which might possibly be overcrowded. For this purpose 10 temporary
enumerators were engaged and one temporary clerk. The engagement of the
temporary enumerators lasted on an average for two and a-half weeks each,
and the engagement of the temporary clerk for nine weeks, when she was
replaced by a permanent appointment. The results obtained from the survey
will be dealt with in detail in the report for 1936, but they can be here
summarised as follows :—
1. The total population was found to be approximately 49,000. Of this
population about 2,800 were resident in Hanwell Mental Hospital and
should therefore be deducted in the consideration of housing matters.
This leaves an effective population of just over 46,000.
2. 1,166 individuals were found to be living in overcrowded dwellings.
This is equivalent to 2.5 per cent, of the population.
3. About 12,500 dwellings were found to be occupied at the time of the
survey.
4. Of these 159 were found to be overcrowded. This is equivalent to
1.27 per cent, of the total number.
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