View report page

32
Housing
Slum Clearance
Two of the clearance areas represented in 1957 received official
confirmation during the year.
The appeal to the High Court, against confirmation of one area, was
heard in February, The appeal was decided in favour of the Borough Council
but as a result of this case certain alterations have been made in the method
of submitting "official representations".
A Public Inquiry was held in September in respect of the largest area
yet submitted, some 200 houses. The inquiry extended over a period of two
whole days, the many objectors being represented by learned Counsel and others.
The question of re-phasing the clearance area programme has again
received consideration and amendments were agreed to during the year. As a
result of this, an "official representation" was submitted to the Council in
October in respect of 88 houses on the Tewkesbury Estate. These houses
occupy the proposed school site and the representation resulted in a "Clearance
Order" being made.
Representations of "declared unfitness" were also submitted in respect
of the houses in Markfield and Stamford Roads, on the proposed industrial
site.
Prom the foregoing it will be seen that it is necessary to keep a
constant review of housing conditions in the Borough. The ideal would be to
achieve a degree of flexibility in the clearance programme which allows for
the deterioration in the older properties. This, however, is not possible
because the final fulfilment of the programme depends on cleared sites
providing land for redevelopment.
Repair of Unfit Houses
Continuing use is made of sections 9 and 10 of the Housing Act, 1957, as
the occasion demands but a large volume of work is done on the receipt of
preliminary notices.
It is of interest to note that once a specification of the work required
is made on the form of a section 9 notice the necessity for any item can only
be challenged in the County Court.
If, on the other hand, owners seek to vary the requirements of a
preliminary notice, it is sometimes possible to meet them. The most common
item in this respect is the question of remedying dampness, where rendering
may be allowed in place of the provision of damp proof courses.
It is becoming apparent however that since the Housing Repairs and Rents
Act, 1954 introduced "the matters to be taken into consideration" in assessing
what is an unfit house, the service of section 9 notices requires the most
careful consideration. This is emphasised when one considers the varying
judgments given in cases appearing before the County Courts.