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Whatever might be the involvement of other officers, these are
all matters which in one way or another concern the Public Health
Inspector, and the housing authority of the future, no less than the
present, will require a strong staff of Inspectors.
Applications for Improvement Grants referred to me by the
Borough Surveyor numbered 583 (Standard 319; Discretionary 264).
All the houses concerned were inspected to Housing Act standards,
and by arrangement with the applicants, were made fit as a condition
of the approval of a grant. The number of applications received was
increasing steadily at the end of the year.
Applications for Qualification Certificates (Part III, Housing Act,
1969) referred to me by the Town Clerk, continued to be dealt with,
and the position on 31st December, 1971, was: —
Section 45, Qualifying Certificates—
New applications 292
Certificates granted 379
Certificates refused 94
Section 46, Certificates of Provisional Approval—
New applications 96
Certificates granted 116
Certificates refused —
Total number of applications dealt with
either by approval or refusal 1,056
Number of applications still subject of
negotiations at end of year 627
Total 1,683
As will be seen there was still a considerable volume of work
outstanding at the end of the year in respect of Qualification Certificates,
and applications are still filtering in. No appeals against the
Council's decision as to the granting or refusal to grant Certificates
were entered during the year.
The implementation of the Council's Slum Clearance programme
continued but no Clearance Areas were declared during 1971. The
programme provided for the inspection of 185 dwelling houses in All
Saints Road, South Road, East Road, North Road and Haydons Road
(North section of South Wimbledon Area), and these inspections were
carried out during the year. I anticipate that the results will be analysed,
and a report made to the Housing Committee (Management)
early in 1972.
A Public Local Enquiry was held in January, 1971, into the
making by the Council of the London Borough of Merton, South
Wimbledon (Clearance Areas Nos. 1 to 8) Compulsory Purchase
Order, 1970, which involved 110 dwelling houses. This Order was
confirmed by the Secretary of State for the Environment in June,
1971, with minor modifications.
Closing orders were made in respect of two individually unfit
houses (9 Wandle Bank, S.W.19, and 79 Merton High Street, S.W.19)
during 1971.
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