[Report 1956] / Medical Officer of Health, Watford U.D.C. / Borough.

  • Watford (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1956
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1956] / Medical Officer of Health, Watford U.D.C. / Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    21/46 (page 15)
    REPORT OF THE CHIEF PUBLIC HEALTH INSPECTOR HOUSING 1. CLEARANCE OF SLUM HOUSES It is the Council's policy to enforce the demolition or closure of the 110 unfit houses in Watford before the end of 1960. In furtherance of this policy the following houses were represented to the Council during 1956 as being unfit for human habita¬ tion. Clearance Areas (i) West Street Clearance Area; Comprising the 13 houses Nos. 1-17 and 12-18 West Street, The Council resolved to deal with this Area by way of a Clearance Order which was submitted to the Minister of Housing and Local Government on 27th November 1956 for confirmation. (ii) Watford Field Road Clearance Area; Comprising the 3 houses Nos. 20, 24 and 25 Watford Field Road and other buildings. The Council resolved on 1st January 1957, that these properties form a Clearance Area. Individual Unfit Houses represented under Section 11, Housing Act, 1936 No. 2 New Street No. 66 Riverside Road Nos. 3, 4, and 6 Terrace Gardens. Nos. 1, 3 and 5 Beechen Grove ) Nos. 258, 258A and 258B High Street ) Nos. 59 and 61 Horseshoe Lane ) ) These 9 houses ) owned by the ) Watford Corporation. ) No, 7 Hempstead Road Six of the above houses (marked *) had been vacated by the end of the year. Four houses - Nos. 141, 143, 145 and 147 Queens Road which were owned by the Council and which were unfit for human habitation were demolished during March 1956. 2. REPAIR OF UNFIT HOUSES For many years it has not been possible for the Public Health Inspectors to carry out routine house to house inspections. Nevertheless, complaints from tenants have led to the enforcement of a considerable amount of housing repair and other works. Altogether during 1956 235 houses were made reasonably fit for human habitation as a result of action under the Housing and Public Health Acts. It is worthy of note that 180 of these houses were made fit by informal action on the part of the Public Health Inspectors and that in only 13 cases was it necessary for the Council to enforce Statutory Notices by carrying out the specified works in default of the owners.