London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Hillingdon 1971
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hillingdon]
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When an improvement notice is served on a landlord of a tenanted house he may instead of
carrying out the work, serve a purchase notice on the Council requiring it to purchase the house.
Six such notices have been served on this Council. The properties acquired have been taken into
the housing pool and the Housing Department is carrying out full improvement and repair.
The position at the end of 1971 in respect of the four Improvement Areas declared by the
Borough is shown below:
The position at the end of 1971 in respect of the four Improvement Areas declared by the Borough is shown below:
| Area No. | No. of Houses lacking amenities in the area | No. improved | No. still to be improved | Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| owner/ occupier | tenants willing | tenants unwilling Suspended Notice | ||||
| 1 | 108 | 75 | 22 | — | 7 | 4 houses demolished |
| 2 | 159 | 38 | 48 | 25 | 22 | 21 dwellings (flats) are already provided with baths in the kitchens and it is physically impossible to re-arrange the dwelling to give separate bathroom. 4 other houses have been demolished. 1 house is owned by the Borough Council and is being comprehensively improved by the housing dept. No default action is being taken as there are redevelopment proposals. |
| 3 | 189 | 49 | 115 | 15 | 8 | 1 purchase notice |
| 4 | 158 | 47 | 60 | 22 | 24 | 5 purchase notices |
Number of: 1. Preliminary Notices served —
2. Undertakings accepted —
3. Immediate Improvement Notices served 1
4. Suspended Notices served —
5. Final Notices served —
6. Dwellings improved (a) full standard 15
(b) reduced standard —
7. Dwellings improved by Local Authority in default:
(a) full standard —
(b) reduced standard —
General Improvement Areas
As an alternative to the declaration of improvement areas the 1969 Act introduced the concept
of a general improvement area concept. The intention of declaring such an area is not only to
improve individual houses lacking modern amenities, but also to improve their environment.
In fact, before declaring a general improvement area the local authority must be satisfied that
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