Building by-laws in rural districts / [William Chance].

  • Sir William Chance, 2nd Baronet
Date:
1914
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Building by-laws in rural districts / [William Chance]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    18/80 page 6
    had a Bill drafted, the main objects of which were to exempt buildings sufficiently isolated from other Buildings from the operation of existing and future Building By-laws except as to those dealing with drainage, and sanitary conveniences ; and to em- power the Local Government Board to disallow existing by-laws or any clause of them which could be shown to be unsuited to the district to which they applied or to operate contrary to the public interests. This Bill was introduced into the House of Lords by Lord Hylton in 1905 and was referred to a Select Committee, which sat for six days taking evidence. It emerged from this ordeal in an amended form, and passed through the House without opposi- tion on the 8th August of the same year. In the following year, Lord Hylton again introduced it into the House of Lords, and after certain amendments, which the Association considered improvements, it was read a third time with the full approval of the Government. The arguments for the Bill, which is en- titled “ the Public Health Act (Building By-laws) Act 1906,” are well explained in a Memorandum which was attached to it, as follows :— “ This Bill, while admitting the need for Building Regulations, also recognizes the fact that, as they operate at present, these regulations often inflict unnecessary injustice and hardship upon owners and builders, and stand in the way of the erection of cheap and yet substantial and healthy dwellings for the working classes. “ The Local Government have also recognized this fact by drawing up a new code of Building by-laws more applicable than the old Model By-laws to the wants of rural districts. “ But it is clear that whatever the code may be, it is quite impossible for it to meet the particular needs of every case. A by-law which operates quite justly in one case will in another inflict hardship and injustice. “ The Bill in question proposes to introduce just that elas- ticity which is so much needed into the operation of Building by-laws, and at the same time it carefully provides that nothing shall be done contrary to the interests of the public health. “ Clauses 2 and 3 propose to do for rural districts, where Build- ing by-laws are already in force, what can already be done in
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