London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Brentford and Chiswick 1960

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Brentford and Chiswick]

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STATISTICS AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF THE BOROUGH, 1960
Area in acres (including 116 acres of foreshore of River
Thames and 24 acres of inland water) 2,449.5
Population - Census 1931 62,617
Population - Census 1951 59,367
Population - Registrar-General's Estimate for area (Mid 1960) 57,070
Number of Inhabited Houses according to Rate Book (April I960) 16,178
Rateable Value at 1 4 1960 £1,324,862
Sum produced by Id Rate (1959 I960) £5,328
The Borough is divided into nine Wards
BRENTFORD Brentford East
Brentford West
Brentford Central
CHISWICK Chiswick Park
Grove Park
Bedford Park
Gunners bury
Old Chiswick
Tum ham Green
In the Borough of Brentford and Chiswick the eastern half is mainly residential
with a certain number of industrial buildings of the smaller type interspersed
throughout while in the western half there is a highly industrialised
section chiefly situated along the Great West Road There are 630 acres of
open space within the Borough with ample facilities for refreshment and recreation
both for the public in general and for the sporting activities of particular
groups.
The proportion of open space to the total area of the Borough is approximately
25% a very reasonable proportion for an urban area
The residents of the Borough are of mixed categories including professional
and clerical people of all grades, artisans factory workers etc, and the types
of dwellings vary from flatted houses and cottages to large detached residences
in their own surrounding grounds. The amount of slum property is not considerable
and progress is now being made with the demolition of houses which are no
longer fit for human habitation. The rehousing of the tenants in council houses,
details concerning assessment of slum dwellings demolition and the building of
new houses are supplied later in this Report,
Overcrowding of dwelling houses still remains a problem in the Borough,
The number of cases of statutory overcrowding known to the Public Health Department
at the end of the year increased slightly even though there was a decrease
in the number of new cases found during the year and an increase in the number
of cases relieved during the year. The rehousing of overcrowded families although
increased was not sufficient to keep up with the rate new cases were
found.
The total number of new houses completed for occupation by the Borough
Council and by private builders was lower in 1960 and New Town housing becomes
more difficult to obtain for those who are willing to take advantage of the
Council1 s assistance towards this method of rehousing
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