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70
Market
Buildings
Area.
The great difficulty then is to acquire a ready-made clearance area which
could he used for decanting people who have been dehoused whilst other areas
are being built on. As I have so often pointed out, Stepney has a large number
of dock workers, either casual or regular, and it is most important that these
men should be housed near their work. If the London County Council undertook
slum clearance on a large scale in Stepney and became responsible for
re-housing the people so displaced, the danger is that the London County
Council are not compelled to re-house Stepney people only. Largs numbers
of people might be sent out of the Borough to live elsewhere while the people
from other areas may be brought in to live in the new dwellings. Like
residents of other districts, Stepney people like to remain in Stepney because
of their old associations and upbringing.
In my annual report last year I reported on the Market Buildings Area
which the Council after considering a representation by me under the Housing
Act, 1930, declared it a Clearance Area. An official enquiry was conducted by
an Inspector of the Ministry of Health in January, and on the 2nd August the
Confirming Order was made with certain modifications by the Minister of
Health.
Underground
rooms.
Housing
Accomodation
provided
From time to time I received communications from the London County
Council in regard to applicants for housing accommodation on their estates.
They stated that the applicants resided in basement rooms and as the London
County Council provide a limited amount of accommodation in connection with
operations under Section 20 of the Housing Act, 1930, they asked whether the
cases are such where action might properly be taken by this Council.
Though there are hundreds of basement rooms in the Borough, many of
them do not come within the legal definition of an underground room habitually
used as a sleeping place as defined by the Housing Act, 1930.
The Council in December made Regulations for securing the proper ventilation
and lighting of rooms to which Section 18 (1) of the Housing Act, 1925,
applies, and the protection thereof against dampness, effluvia or exhalation.
675 families in the Borough took accommodation on the London County
Council's housing estates as follows:—
Becontree Estate 410
Beachy House, Wapping 1
Vancouver House, ,, 21
Franklin House, ,, 1
Fenner House, ,, 3
Welch House, ,, 14
Parry House, ,, 1
Jackson House, ,, 40
Frobisher House, ,, 1
Brune House 38
Kingshold Estate 33
Stamford Hill Estate 20
Boundary Street Estate 17
Cable Street Estate:—
Chancery Buildings 4
Dellow Buildings 1
Bewley Buildings 4
Lowood Buildings 1
Whitemore Estate 9
Brightlingsea Buildings 5
St. Helier Estate 5
Collingwood Estate 9