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63
HOUSING.
The Slum Clearance scheme prepared in 1933 according to instructions
of the Ministry of Health is now in full swing. The London County
Council, as the chief housing authority, undertake the larger schemes,
and the Borough the smaller ones, the whole being timed and "cogwheeled"
with the L.C.C. re-housing schemes. Many deputations and
consultations have taken place between representatives of the Borough
Council and L.C.C. Housing Committees. The Borough Council, at
various times, have expressed their wish and willingness to co-operate to
the fullest extent not only in clearance schemes but also in re-housing
schemes. Already the Council have completed one block of dwellings in
Doddington Grove, whilst dwellings are in course of erection at Amery
Place, Doddington Grove West, and several other re-housing schemes are
contemplated in the near future.
One of the main concerns of the Council has been, and still is, the
de-housing of the citizens of the Borough and their re-housing outside the
Borough. This has resulted in more than one deputation being sent to
the L.C.C.
On the last occasion the L.C.C. gave assurances to the Borough
Council that the residents of the Borough should be re-housed, so far as
was found practicable, either in or close to the Borough. To confirm this
the L.C.C. allotted a certain percentage of their new dwellings at East
Dulwich Estate and Honor Oak Estate; mention was made of other
likely sites at the Oval and on the borders of Southwark and Bermondsey.
The difficulty of re-housing inside the Borough is due to the lack of
suitable sites. In our eagerness and desire to re-house all Southwark
families in Southwark, there is a danger of producing further congestion
and bad arrangement. To build up a few houses here and a few there
simply in this desire, without some preconceived idea of general planning
and improvement on present conditions, would obviously be defeating
the ultimate object of the Slum Clearance scheme. The necessity for
wholesale clearances at the present time is a consequence of ill-conceived
planning of our fore-fathers, and the present generation must guard against
their pitfalls and not repeat the process.
I have from time to time drawn the attention of the Council to the
desirability of re-housing as many of the de-housed families in Southwark
as possible, by making the utmost use of suitable areas which are obtainable.
In my opinion, I am convinced that as we are unable to build