View report page

34
Parapet Walls
on High
Buildings.
In the month of June, 1898, a fatal accident occurred to a
man who fell from the roof of Queen's Buildings, and the attention
of the authority was thus called to the danger arising
from high buildings of this character not being surrounded
by more efficient protection on the parapet walls
of the roofs to prevent accidents of this kind occurring;
at the same time the attention of the Vestry was drawn to
the fact that owing to the lack of such protection, boys not
infrequently ran along the parapet walls of Queen's Buildings to their
great risk and danger. The Vestry accordingly deemed it desirable
to call the attention of the County Council to the necessity of more
efficient protection being provided, and suggested the advisability for
that authority obtaining statutory powers, enabling them to deal with
these cases. A communication was received from the Council in
regard to this recommendation, stating that the Building Act Committee
were unable to see their way to recommend the Council to
obtain statutory authority to compel owners of model dwellings of
considerable height to provide such protection.
The Vestry, on the 13th December, 1898, in view of another
accident which had occurred in the meantime, at the same building,
directed a reply to be sent to this communication asking the Building
Act Committee of the Council to reconsider the subject and embody
a clause in the direction indicated, in any General Powers Bill the
Council was likely to promote in the ensuing Session of Parliament.
It is much to be regretted that the Council have not seen their way
to take this course.
Control of
Open Spaces.
The question of the control of the smaller Open Spaces throughout
the Metropolis having come before the London County Council,
they determined to convene a conference on the matter,
and at their request the Vestry appointed delegates
thereto. The conference was held at the County Hall, Spring
Gardens, on Wednesday the 25th January, 1899, when a
resolution was adopted to the effect that the maintenance and
control of all Open Spaces under ten acres should be undertaken
by the Sanitary Authority for the District, and that
the Council should grant to the Authority the amount of the cost,