TOWN PLANNING IDEALS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18455, 19 July 1923, Page 13

TOWN PLANNING IDEALS.

HAMMERSMITH SCHEME.

An account of the Hammersmith Borough Council's housing operations was recently given by Mr. G. E. Streatfield, one of three architects associated with the borough surveyor in carrying out the scheme. The area developed is known as the Wormholt estate. In laying out the estate it was deciaed to avoid corner blocks and to keep, as far as possible, the corners of the roads open and to provide ample open spaces. For this purpose tain blocks of the houses are set back to form open squares, and playgrounds for the children are arranged behind the houses at the end of the gardens. These playgrounds were felt to be a very important feature, as they keep the children out of the streets and avoid the ■ danger caused by motor traffic; also, the mothers can see from their windows what their children are doing. By means of these playgrounds access is given to the back doors of middle houses, and wherever this has not been possible a commou passage is formed through the block of houses so that every house has a separate way to the back door. Thus ail back reads and narrow alleys behind the. houses are, avoided. I

Some of the houses are of a partial ' concrete block construction, ; but in the majority of cases the walls are of brickwork llin. in thickness, with cavity external walls.' The roofs are covered with tiles laid upon ruberoid. The upper windows are all hung to projecting hinges, which makes the outside easy to clean, and in all bedrooms one small pane in a metal casement is hung to give ventilation. Two contracts were carired . out by one £-'m for 198 houses, at a% estimate of £170,350, subject ,to adjustment for rise and fall. Another firm built. 308 houses on a basic price contract amounting to £295,372 10s, which ...was also subject to adjustment. Thirty-nine houses and four shops with flats over them are now being Built at a cost of about' £21,500. .' The' total cost of building 545 houses, four shops,; and four fiats amounts .to about £590,000, an average of about £1065 per house. The cost to-day would be only about half this sum. The construction of the roads and sewers will be carried out at an estimated cost of £162,460. Sites for public buildings and churches have been reserved at axial points in the lay-out plan, ts here they - will close the vista- ... •„■'■ '■. .':'■