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1.6.2 At about the same time the redevelopment of the Gospel Oak area was being
planned, and it was proposed to provide a health centre or family health clinic at Lismore
Circus which is within a quarter of a mile of the Queen's Crescent Centre. When the
development was completed the Queen's Crescent premises would be demolished to provide
an open space.
1.6.3 Because of the limited time that the Queen's Crescent premises would be
available for use the Ministry did not support the project.
EVERSHOLT STREET FAMILY HEALTH CLINIC
1.7.1 The St. Pancras Housing Society Ltd., owns a number of houses at the junction
of Eversholt Street and Polygon Road, and it was proposed that these should be demolished
and redeveloped for housing purposes. It was suggested that the ground floor of
the new building might be used for a health centre or family health clinic, and it seemed
that this would provide a good opportunity to replace the present somewhat unsatisfactory
Somers Town Maternity and Child Welfare centre and the School Treatment centre.
a.7.2 Enquiry amongst the doctors practising within half a mile of the site showed
that there would not be sufficient support from the general medical practitioners to plan
a health centre and the proposal was, therefore, restricted to a family health clinic.
1-7.3 The site, which is on the north side of Polygon Road, is somewhat narrow and
the northern boundary is occupied by a church hall which limits the natural lighting from
the north. The preliminary proposal was that the family health clinic would occupy the
whole of the ground floor of the L-shaped block of flats, together with the space at the
rear of the existing Polygon Road houses. The basement would provide car parking, both
for the flats and for the family health clinic. The portion of the clinic area to the rear of
the new flats in Polygon Road would have to be provided with roof lights, but there was
an area corresponding to the rear portion of the new flats in both Polygon Road and
Eversholt Street which could not be given adequate natural lighting: its use would consequently
be much restricted. In addition it was considered that, as Eversholt Street is
an extremely busy thoroughfare, the problems of noise and of ventilation of the proposed
rooms on the Eversholt Street frontage would again severely limit their use.
1-7.4 The St. Pancras Housing Society then suggested that in place of the rear
tion of the ground floor area a portion of the first floor could be used for the family
health clinic, but again the advice we received was that although the nearness to the
existing Somers Town Clinic was a great advantage, the family health clinic which
could be provided there would not be in all respects satisfactory.
1.7.5 At this time the Council was considering the future of the large block of flats
known as Polygon Buildings, and it was suggested that it might be possible to use part
of these buildings for a family health clinic and to provide a day nursery adjacent to it to
replace the existing and not very satisfactory Margaret Day Nursery in Phoenix Road.
1.7.6 In view of this, the proposal to provide a family health clinic in association
with the St. Pancras Housing Society's development was reluctantly abandoned.
1.7.7 I must, however, express my deep appreciation of the help which was so freely
given by Mrs. John Barclay, O.B.E., B.A., F.R.I.C.S., the Estates Manager and
Hon. Secretary, and Mr. Alan Chalmers, F.R.I.B.A., Architect, both for the trouble which
they took and for their forbearance during the delays which were occasioned.
INDUSTRIAL TRAINING CENTRE
1.8.1 On the formation of the London Borough of Camden in 1965 there was a shortage
of accommodation for transferred London County Council office staff because the premises
formerly occupied by them were in other boroughs. Bidborough House provides the main
accommodation for the Health, Welfare, Children's and Housing departments, but additional
accommodation was necessary, and in November 1966 the Council agreed that the
factory premises at 44/44a Fitzroy Road, N.W.I, which had been acquired for housing
purposes, should be used temporarily by the Health and Welfare Departments.
1.8.2 The premises provide a large amount of space on four floors, together with a
large yard in which there is a single-storey canteen block. In order to limit the amount of
alteration and adaptation, the space first occupied as offices was limited to most of the
first floor and a small part of the ground floor.
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