[Report 1937] / Medical Officer of Health, St Andrews.

  • St. Andrews (Scotland). Council.
Date:
1937
    The following table gives the number of new sanitary fittings provided in connection with the foregoing alterations and new buildings :— 36 Baths. 99 Wash-hand basins. 59 Water-Closets. 4 Slop Closets. 20 Sinks. 10 Wash-tubs. 16 Spray Baths. Total 244 or 2,071 new sanitary fittings provided within the Burgh during the past 7 years. BURIALS. One burial, in terms of Section 69 of the Public Health (Scot- land) Act, 1897, was carried out during the year. This was an adult male, aged 71 years, and the cost to the Department was £8 Is 6d, no part of which was recovered. SCHOOLS. The schools within the Burgh continue to be well maintained, and no action was called for in this direction. BURIAL GROUNDS. No complaints were received regarding the condition of any of the burial grounds within the Burgh. HOUSING. REPORT for the year ended 31st December 1937, on proceedings taken with regard to the Inspection, Improvement and Demolition and Closure of Dwelling-Houses. HOUSING (INSPECTION OF DISTRICT) REGULATIONS (SCOTLAND), 1928. 1. Number of dwelling-houses inspected :— (cr) During year . . .. .. .. 19 (b) Since 1st January 1931 .. .. .. 308 2. Number of dwelling-houses which on inspection were considered to be in any respect unfit for human habita- tion :— (a) During year .. .. .. .. 9 (b) Since 1st January 1931 .. .. .. 235
    BURGH POLICE (SCOTLAND) ACT, 1892. 3. Number of houses in respect of which notice was given during year under Section 246 requiring provision of a sufficient water-closet 4. Number of houses where requirements were complied with by owners during year 5. Number of houses where works carried out by Town Council during year after failure of owners to do so 6. Number of houses for which water-closets were provided during year at instance of Town Council without formal notice under section 246 7. Number of houses in respect of which notice was given during year under Section 246 requiring provision of inside water supply and sink 8. Number of houses in which requirements were complied with by owners during year <j Number of houses in which works carried out by 4own Council during year after failure of owners to do so 10. Number of houses in which inside water supply and sink were provided during year at instance ol lown Council without formal notice under Section 246 HOUSING (SCOTLAND) ACT, 1925. 11. Number of houses of (a) one apartment, and (6) two (a) apartments, for erection of which consent of Town Council was given during year in terms of Section one hundred and eleven .. • • • • (&) HOUSING (SCOTLAND) ACT, 1930. 12. Number of dwelling-houses in respect of which notices were served during year under Section 14 (1) 13. Number of dwelling-houses rendered fit for human habitation fluring year following on notices under Section 14 (1) .. 14. Number of dwelling-houses in respect of which work has been done during year by Town Council under Section 15(1) •• •* 15. Number of dwelling-houses in respect ol which in terms of Section 17 a demolition order or closing order under Section 16 (3) has been substituted during year for a notice under Section 14 (1) 16. Number of dwelling-houses in respect of which notices were served during year in terms of Section 16 (1) . .
    17. Number of dwelling-houses in respect of which, folio', ing on notice under Section 16 (1) :— (a) Undertaking has been given during year that house will not be used for human habitation until it has been rendered so fit . . .. 26 (b) Undertaking has been given during year that house will be rendered fit . . . . .. (c) Demolition orders have been made during year under Section 16 (3) .. . . .. — (d) Closing orders have been made under Section 16 (3) and (4) . . . . . . . . 18. Number of dwelling-houses rendered fit during year following on undertakings under Section 16 (2) ' .. 2 19. Number of dwelling-houses rendered fit for human habitation during year at instance of Town Council without formal notice under Housing (Scotland) Act, 1930 . . . . .. .. .. _ 20. Number of dwelling-houses in respect of which closing orders have, in terms of Section 16 (3), been determined by Town Council during year following upon houses having been rendered fit for human habitation .. — 21. Number of houses in respect of which advances have been made during year in terms of Section 34 towards cost of repairs and amount so advanced .. .. — The position at the end of the }rear, in relation to the provision of houses by the Town Council is summarised as follows :— Development. Year. 1 apt. 2 apts. 3 apts. 4 apts. 5 apts. Total 1st (Renovation) 1st 2nd . . 3rd 4th . . 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 9th 10th 10th Totals 85 1919 1921 4 50 1924 — 51 1925 — 24 1926 — 50 1927 — 48 1929 — 8 1932 — 46 1933 — 54 1934 1935 — 120 1936 1937 — 612 — 4 5 4 4 — 17 — 20 36 12 68 — 32 18 — 50 — 36 15 — 51 24 — — — 24 20 20 10 — 50 48 — — — 48 20 52 12 • 84 — 40 6 — 46 — 12 — — 12 12 24 6 — 42 — 20 8 6 34 — 64 16 6 86 129 324 131 24 612 In comparison to the above, the following table gives the number of dwelling-houses reected bv Private Enterprise during the same period.
    Yetfd' 1 apt. 2 apts. 3 apts. 4 apts. 5 apts. 6 apts. or more. Total. 1919 — — — — — — — 1920 — — — — — — — 1921 — — — — — — — 1922 — — — — — — — 1923 — — — — — — — 1924 — — 3 — — — 3 1925 — — 2 — 2 — 4 192(3 — — — — — i 1 1927 — — — — 3 — 3 1928 — — — 2 — — 2 1929 — — — — 1 — 1 1930 — — — 4 — — 4 1931 — — — 2 — — 2 1932 — — 1 7 1 — 9 1933 — — — 1 3 — 4 1934 — — 2 3 11 7 23 1935 — — 2 4 7 7 20 193(5 — 1 4 10 13 (3 34 1937 — — 3 10 4 9 2(5 Totals — 1 17 43 45 30 130 The total for the year 1932 does not include a few houses which were outwith the Burgh Boundary previous to the Burgh Extension effected during that year. During the year the 10th Development of the Housing Schemes was completed and fully occupied. The scheme comprised a total of 120 houses, namely :—84 three-apartment houses, 24 four-apartment houses, and 12 five-apartment houses. Of the 120 houses, 34 were occupied up to the end of 1936, and the remaining 86 were completed and occupied during 1937. Of the 120 houses comprising this development, 82 were utilised for slum clearance and 38 for relief of overcrowding. Since 1933, the total number of units displaced from unfit houses into houses belonging to the Local Authority is 885 and 83 units have been displaced but were not provided with accom- modation. Of the 885 units accommodated in houses belonging to the Local Authority 157 were accommodated in 1933 ; .18 in 1934 ; 193 in 1935 ; 137 in 1936 ; 357 in 1937 and 3 in the early part of the present year. The total number of properties which have been surveyed to date is 132 comprising 389 separate families with a total unit content of 1,305 persons. Of the 1,305 persons, 222 families, comprising 885 persons were accommodated by the Local Auth- ority ; 40 families comprising 83 persons were displaced but not
    accommodated, leaving 127 families of 337 persons still in resi- dence. The 222 families were accommodated as follows :— Abbeycourt, 5 families comprising 8 persons ; 1st Development, 1 family comprising 4 persons ; 2nd Development, 3 families comprising 13 persons ; 3rd Development, 3 families comprising 10 persons ; 4th Development, 5 families comprising 12 persons ; 5th Development, 8 families comprising 19 persons ; 6th Develop- ment, 8 families comprising 16 persons ; 7th Development. 6 families comprising 22 persons ; 8th Development, 38 families comprising 166 persons ; 9th Development, 38 families com- prising 244 persons and 10th Development, 87 families comprising 371 persons. The number of ordinary applicants on the Housing Register at the end of the year was 251, made up as follows :—two-roomed houses, 117, three-roomed houses, 94 ; and four and five-roomed houses, 40. Of the 251 applications, 193 applicants are resident in the Burgh and 58 outwith the Burgh. The local applications are as follows :—two-roomed houses, 99 ; three-roomed houses, 68 ; and four and five-roomed houses, 26. These figures refer to all applications, some of the applicants being already in possession of a house. Taking applications from persons living in furnished rooms and young people desiring to get married and from persons working in the Burgh, but resident outwith the Burgh, the total applications to be dealt with number 144 : two-roomed, 84 ; three-roomed, 42 ; and four and five-roomed, 18. The postal re-survey completed at the end of 1937 shows that the following houses are still required to relieve overcrowding :— three-roomed houses, 35 ; four-roomed houses, 17 ; and five- roomed houses, 3 ; a total of 55. In addition, the following houses are required to accommodate families still residing in houses, represented as unfit, excluding South Court and Abbey Court, in which 16 families ranging in size from 1 to 6 persons reside. One-roomed, 20 ; two-roomed, 55 ; three-roomed, 21 ; four-roomed, 3 ; a total of 99. After de-crowding operations have been completed, there will be a surplus of 9 one-roomed and 16 two-roomed houses. These will be available for 25 families not exceeding 3 “ Adults ” in size and presently residing in unfit houses. The total number of houses required, therefore, to relieve overcrowding and to replace unfit houses will be :— two-roomed, 50 ; three-roomed, 56 ; four-roomed, 20 ; five- roomed, 3 ; a total of 129. (It will be noted that the need foiv small houses greatly predominates.) A portion of the Burgh is still to be surveyed with a view to tKe discovery of unfit houses, and it is estimated that the above total will be increased by approximately 30 houses.