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Environmental Health
78
provision to secure house repairs by giving power to Local Authorities to serve notices on owners
of dwelling houses which, while not unfit, are in need of substantial repair.
The repair provisions of the Housing Act 1957 required the Local Authority to be satisfied that
the dwelling was unfit and repairable at reasonable expense, and it was because of the difficulty of
proving unfitness and reasonable cost that many Local Authorities refrained from using this Act
to secure repairs to property, and instead used the Nuisance Section of the Public Health Act, which
is not effective in securing a good standard of repair.
The proviso attached to an Improvement Grant, that the dwelling concerned must be in a state
of good repair to qualify for a grant is also having a good effect on the repair of dwellings. Previously,
in order to qualify for a grant, a dwelling had simply to be fit for habitation. Even if the dwelling
was in disrepair only those defects, which if not remedied, would be likely to make the dwelling unfit
within 15 years, could be insisted upon as a condition of grant.

Demolition and Closure
Five Demolition Orders and 7 Closing Orders, in respect of unfit dwellings not capable of repair
at reasonable expense were reported to the Council during the year. Of the 12 Orders, 11 were in
respect of whole houses and 1 in respect of a part of a house.
Unfit Houses (not capable of repair at reasonable expense) Housing Act 1957:—
Number of: 1. Undertakings received (Section 16) —
2. Closing Orders made (Section 17) 7
3. Demolition Orders made (Section 17) 8
4. Closing Orders made (rooms) (Section 18) 1
5. Closing Orders determined (Section 27) 1
6. Closing Orders revoked and Demolition Orders
substituted (Section 28) —
7. Houses demolished following Demolition Orders 12
8. Number of people displaced (a) individuals 24
(b) families 10
*
Clearance Areas and Individual Unfit Dwellings
Since the 1st April, 1965 the Council have made 43 demolition orders, 32 closing orders and
declared 39 Clearance Areas. 248 houses were involved in the above action, and 162 have been
demolished.