LOW COST HOUSING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23109, 8 February 1937, Page 12

LOW COST HOUSING

MR NASH’S INVESTIGATION

LIVERPOOL SLUM CLEARANCE IMPORTANT BUILDING DEVELOPMENTS (From Our Own Corresi’Onuent) (By Air Mail) LONDON, Jan. 13. Information of value upon tire finance, administration, architecture and construction in municipal housing schemes has been gained by the Minister of Finance and Minister of Marketing, Mr Walter Nash, as a result of his visit to Liverpool last week. In the past 36 years the Liverpool Corporation has erected more than 33,000 houses, fiats, and shops.

In Liverpool slum clearance has been a problem since 1869. Up until the war the corporation had erected a total of 2895 flats and houses for the clearance of slum areas, and since the war over 4000 have been constructed for a similar purpose. In addition, it has erected nearly 26,000 flats and houses as part of a large scheme of municipal housing with low rentals. Twelve per cent, of the city’s population of 900.000 live in these buildings. Notwithstanding all this activity, the corporation has still a list of about 24,000 applicants for either flats or houses that it has not yet been able to satisfy. Liverpool’s housing scheme has prabably been established the longest and is one of the most successful in the world. The Housing Department of the corporation has shown that a permanent organisation, planning a programme of regulated expansion for the future, can achieve low cost housing, combined with high standards of comfort and full communal amenities.

The director of the Housing Department is Mr L. H. Keay, a wellknown authority upon the subject, whose services have been sought at various times by both the United States and Canada. The chief architect is Mr L. C. Hewitt. With both Mr Nash had long conferences. The estates upon which the flats and houses have been constructed are all situated in good parts of the city’s suburbs, and the fact that the director has a long range programme has enabled him to make his land purchases ahead of requirements. Most of the land is purchased by negotiation, and this has been a fairly successful method. The valuation of the district valuer is the limiting factor in the possible exploitation of the public. There is also present the possibility of compulsory powers being used to acquire land, so fellers are generally found to be reasonable.

Somewhat the same principle applies in the construction of the flats or houses. These are generally built by contract, but the contractors know that the Director of Housing is likely to put in a contract himself, and as the Housing Department can build houses more cheaply—it need make no profits—its influence is to keep prices low. The services of the private contractor are needed because of the amount of work to be done. ATTENTION TO DETAIL It is interesting to compare the influence of the Director of Housing on housing costs with that of New Zealand’s State joinery factories. Their object is, too, to act as governors in supplying a good service at a reasonable price. In planning the Liverpool housing estates, full attention is given to fresh air, sun, layout, communal facilities, and to beauty. The houses are arranged so that the morning sun reaches the front rooms, and the afternoon sun the rooms in the rear. As far as possible, no building is allowed to shut off the sun from another.

While an effort is made to build as many houses as possible, in some parts flats are the only method of solving the housing problem. By these means greater facilities can be provided for recreational purposes while retaining the same density of population. The houses are not of the bungalow type, owing to additional costs, but consist mostly ef well-designed blocks of two, three, four or six. All the houses or flats have a larder, bath, hot water system, internal lavatory, electric light, power plugs, gas points and gas-heated wash boilers. UNIFORMITY OF DESIGN

In the layout of the estates the street is made to feel a unity by arranging the design so that the buildings at the end form natural and inevitable boundaries. In the buildings uniformity and beauty are gained without monotony. Care is taken to ensure that a Georgian style is not placed next to a modern design, and also that the street is not merely a succession of identical houses.

When planning the estates thousands of houses are involved, so that in effect it becomes community planning. Shopping centres are arranged, school, church sites and recreation areas set aside, libraries, community halls and theatres built. NOT FOR SALE The Liverpool Corporation is letting the houses or shops—they are not sold—does not allow posters, placards or hoardings, nor can shop fronts be disfigured. Each shopkeeper must keep his name and trade to a uniform size and type when placed on the shop front.

The buildings are not insured with a private insurance company. The Housing Department carries its own insurance and has built up strong reserves.

It was on the Dovecot Estate that provision was first made for elderly people, particularly old-age pensioners. Here, 34 cottage flats were erected, each consisting of a living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. The rents for these arc as low as 5s 3d a week. RAISING THE MONEY

The money required for the purchase of land and building has been raised by the Liverpool Corporation at 3 per cent, on the security of the city’s rates, and housing costs have been kept down by the standardisation of certain materials and equipment. The result is low rents. For example, a house with three bedrooms varies from 8s 4d to 12s lOd a week inclusive of rates. With a sitting room in addition, the rent rises to 15s lid a week. Other rents are in proportion. In slum clearance projects the Government and the local authority give a yearly subsidy, which reduces the rents on those houses which replace the slums. The Housing Department pools the sums received and allocates them to individual categories of houses in accord with the economic needs of the tenants.

The magnitude of the task that has faced Liverpool is thus obvious. The fact that the city’s experience in municipal housing has been placed before Mr Nash will be of benefit to New Zealand, in that it will enable errors made in othe. parts of the world to be avoided.

GLANCE AT THE CATHEDRAL During a half-hour interval prior to departure, the Dean of Liverpool suggested that Mr Nash and his friends might like to see something of the cathedral, which still is very far from completion. Mr Nash was so tremendously impressed w'ith the beauty, dignity and solemnity of treatment of the chancel that he urges all New Zealanders who_ find themselves within 50 miles of Liverpool City to continue the journey thither and experience for themselves the solemn impressiveness of the Eastern interior.