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57
The Housing (Underground Rooms) Act, 1959, which came into operation on
the 14th May, 1959, restores to local authorities the power to deal with
underground rooms in accordance with any Regulations made by the authority.
On the 26th June, 1959, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government's
Circular No. 38/59 was issued in which the Minister drew the attention of
local authorities to the Housing (Underground Rooms) Act Draft Model
Regulations, which it was said had been revised to bring them into conformity
with present day standards for underground rooms, accompanied this Circular.
The Circular asked local authorities with Regulations already approved to
review them in the light of the revised Model, and to submit revised Regulations
for the Minister' s approval as soon as possible, and in any event not later
than the end of the year The Circular also pointed out that while the Act
and Regulations were necessarily drawn in terms of prescribed general standards,
it is important that local authorities should ensure that they are applied with
care and discretion and that in determining whether a basement room which falls
somewhat below the prescribed standards should be closed, it is relevant to
consider the use to which the room is to be put.
Hackney, with other local authorities, objected to the new Regulations
on the grounds that in some respects they fall far short of those already
adopted by those authorities, and as a result of various representations made
to the Minister about the new Draft Model Regulations, he decided to seek the
views of local authorities' associations upon them The result of these
consultations have not yet been made known.
The following is a summary of the action taken under the Housing Act,
1957:-
SECTION 17
Demolition Orders made 1
Houses demolished 4
Closing Orders made 5
SECTION 18
Closing Orders made (including 51 individual underground rooms) 66
Undertakings to make fit for human habitation 1
Undertakings cancelled Nil
SECTION 24
Demolition of houses deferred to permit execution of works Nil
Demolition Orders revoked 4
SECTION 27
Closing Orders determined (Houses) 2
Closing Orders determined (Parts of premises) 5
Closing Orders cancelled - premises demolished 6
Undertakings cancelled - premises demolished 3
SECTION 36
Notices served 3
Notices complied with 3