At the meeting of the Rushden Urban Council on Wednesday evening the Clerk (Mr. G. S. Mason) read a letter from the Ministry of Health sanctioning the erection of a further 30 houses on the Trafford-road site, the Council to receive the subsidy proposed in the Housing, Etc., No. 2 Bill.  The Ministry approved generally of the Council’s proposal to erect the houses referred to, and, subject to their being completed within the period specified in the Act, they would be prepared to pay to the Council an annual subsidy of £6 in respect of each house for 20 years.  They would also be willing to consider an application for sanction to a loan for the purpose of erecting the houses, on being furnished with the necessary particulars.  The letter proceeded: “I am at the same time to draw the attention of the Council to the necessity of continuing their efforts to encourage the erection of houses by private enterprise.  The Minister does not gather what is the extent to which assistance had been offered by the Council in this connection; and, before considering any further proposals for the erection of houses by the Council themselves, he would require to be furnished with particulars of their proposals for the erection of houses by private enterprise.”

  The Clerk: That is, they practically accept our proposal for the present houses, because the Bill has become law and all the requirements have been complied with.

The Land

  A letter was received from the District Valuer, Inland Revenue, Northampton, relating to the Trafford-road housing site, stating that he had inspected the land, which he found to be as follows: Block 1, site for ten houses on the north side of Trafford-road, frontage 312ft., area 3.056 square yards; Block 2, ten houses, south side ditto, 314ft., 3,134 sq. yds.; Block 3, six houses, north side, 140ft., 2,022 sq. yds.; Block 4, four houses, east side of Oval-road, 88ft., 1,369 sq. yds.  He added that Trafford-road and Oval-road, so far as they had been constructed (fronting Blocks 1, 2, and 3, but not fronting Block 4), would be completed at the expense of the Assisted Housing Scheme, and the cost of the proposed road fronting Block 4 would fall upon the Urban Council.  The Assisted Housing Scheme was fenced on all sides against these plots, but the remaining frontages of the plots would be fenced at the expense of the Council.  He was of opinion that the value of the surplus land, containing 9,581 sq. yds., in the open market, including the value attributable to development, was £1,230, which, subject to the confirmation of the Ministry of Health, was the figure he advised should be credited to the Assisted Scheme Account in respect of the appropriation of the land.

  The Clerk: I think that is quite a reasonable figure.  It is just over 2s. 6d. per yard all round.

  Mr. Bayes: It is £41 per house.

  Mr. Knight moved that the land be taken, and this was carried.

  Mr. Coles said he took it that there would be no further grant from the Ministry unless the Council had done all they could to further private enterprise.  He moved that this question be referred to the Finance Committee to consider what could be done.

  Mr. Spencer seconded, and said that he did not think for a moment that

Private Enterprise

was going to build houses in Rushden.  The only way of facing the problem, he thought, would be to ask each town to set up a working department and to build the houses themselves.  The failure of private enterprise to find houses for the people was a great scandal.  Many of the things which the landlords ought to have done had been neglected, simply because of the shortage of houses.  He would be only too pleased to see anybody build houses in Rushden.

  Mr. Coles: Some Councils have already moved in this matter and have announced that they are prepared to give the land or take other action to encourage private enterprise.

  Mr. Horrell said that no speculative builder was going to use as much land per house as the Council had done.  The Council ought to make an effort to utilise their present land for houses, and after that they might get private enterprise to build on the cheaper land, where the roads were already made, and to build in rows.

  Mr. Wilmott: With regard to private enterprise, the builders cannot afford to build houses and lose £30 or £40 per house.  If this Council is going to make the roads and to develop the land, you will only get £6 per house for 20 years, and you will have to find the rest out of the ratepayers’ money.  If you could get some philanthropist to give the land, you might be helping to solve the problem.  The only way for private enterprise to do anything would be to take some of the older sites where the roads are already made.  I believe the people of Rushden prefer the pre-war cottage to the new ones.

  Mr. Spencer: Is not that because the rent of the new ones is higher?

  Mr. Wilmott: I do not know.

  Mr. Swindall: If building could be made remunerative to the builder, the houses would be built.  If the Government had allowed the subsidy on the better-class houses, I believe they would have been built, but the subsidy is only on very small cottages, which no builder would care to put up on his own account.

  Mr. Coles: I do not want to see any builder lose £40 on a house nor making a profit of £200 on one.  We want comfortable homes, and the builder should have a fair remuneration for what he has done.  I believe there are so many

Rings Round The House

that the costs are too high.

  Mr. Coles’s proposition was carried.

  The Clerk said the Ministry had sanctioned the borrowing of £12,000 by the Council for the housing scheme.

  A letter was received from the Ministry of Health, dated Aug. 14^th, regarding the proposed erection by the Urban Council of 30 houses on the Trafford-road site, stating that the Minister had considered the report from the District Valuer relating to the proposed transfer to the Council of the four plots of land required for the houses as indicated on the lay-out plan.  The Minister was prepared to agree that the land, 9.581 sq. yds., should be transferred to the Council on the understanding that the Housing (Assisted Scheme) Account would be relieved of loan charges in respect of the sum of £1,230, representing the present market value of the land, and that the Scheme Account would not be responsible for the cost of any future development works other than those already approved of under the scheme, and that the land would be fenced by the Council without charge to the account mentioned.

  With reference to the rents of the houses on the Trafford-road site, the Ministry wrote to the effect that an initial rent of 6s.  9d. per week in addition to rates, water charges, etc., for houses comprising a living-room, kitchen-scullery, and three bedrooms would not be regarded as insufficient for the purposes of the Local Authorities (Assisted Housing Schemes) Regulations, 1919.  The letter proceeded: “As an inclusive rent will be charged, I am to state that in the event of an increase in the rates, the inclusive rent should be raised pro tanto.”

The Rushden Echo, 9^th  November, 1923

Housing Proposals at Rushden
Urban Council’s Assistance to Private Enterprise
The Scheme Explained

  Convened by the Rushden Urban Council, a public meeting was held in the large room of the Council Buildings on Monday to explain the workings of the new Housing Act as it affects the subsidising of private building.  Mr. L. Perkins, B.Sc., J.P. (chairman of the Council), presided.  There were also present Messrs. F. Knight, J.P., J. Spencer, J.P., T. Wilmott, C. E. Bayes, W. B. Madin (Surveyor), G. S. Mason (Clerk), and H. Lack (Rate Collector).  The room was crowded to its utmost capacity, many ladies being present.  Pamphlets were distributed setting for the conditions as follow:

1. First Steps. – Before commencing to build application must be made to the Council for the subsidy and the applicant must have received an intimation from the Council that the plans are approved.

2. Land. – Applicants should obtain the land on which they desire to build, if they are able to do so.  In case they cannot do so the Council are prepared to sell certain plots of land on the Newton-road site, and a plan showing these plots may be seen at the Council Offices, and particulars as to cost, etc., will be furnished.

3. Plans, etc. – Plans and specifications (in duplicate), based on the sizes mentioned in Paragraph 5 below, must be submitted to the Council for approval.  When the plans and specifications are approved the Council will issue a certificate to the applicant that if the house is completed ready for occupation to the satisfaction of the Council on or before September 30^th, 1924, the house will qualify for the subsidy.

4.  Amount of Subsidy. – The subsidy will be paid on completion and will amount to £100 per house.

5.  Size of House. – The house must have a superficial area within the following limits: For a two-storey house, minimum 620 super. Ft., maximum 950 super. Ft.; for a one-storey house or bungalow, minimum 550 super. Ft., maximum 880 super. Ft.  Certain definite rules have been made showing how the measurement of the superficial area is to be carried out, and these can be seen at the Council offices.

6.  Use of House. – For a period of at least three years, as may be determined by the Council, the house shall not be used otherwise than as a separate dwelling-house, and no addition thereto or enlargement thereof shall be made without the consent of the Council.  The house must be of entirely new construction, and may not contain or be constructed for occupation with an office, shop, business premises, garage, stable, or similar building.

7.  Bath. – The house must have a fixed bath.

8.  Cost of House. – Assuming that a house can be built for £450, including land, street- making, and sewers, the following is an example which may be useful:

  The Council have arranged with a building society to advance the balance on mortgage at 5 per cent. interest for a period of 20 years.  The principal money will be repaid by monthly instalments of £1  6s.  3d., with interest at 5 per cent. on the monthly balances.  The first month’s interest would be £1  6s.  3d., which would be reduced month by month as the principal owing became less.

  The owner will be responsible for all taxes, rates, and water charges, and all repairs.

  Whatever a house costs to build, provided it comes within the measurements mentioned above, the subsidy of £100 will be payable.

  The Chairman said that all the members of the Council were anxious to do all they could to further the erection of houses.  It would be in the interests of the ratepayers, because the new houses would bring in revenue towards the upkeep of the town, which would not be increased at all as a result of the new houses.  He understood that there were plots of land for sale in the town.  He did not know whether there were enough for all the people at that meeting.  It was best that the plots already available should first be taken, owing to the roads already having been provided.  He advised people not to apply for a grant of £100 until they were sure they could afford the remainder.  They might have to pay 4s. a yard for ground.  There was just the possibility that the price of land would have gone up as a result of the present offer to possible house-owners, but he hoped that it would not have gone up too ferociously and so make people wait for nothing else but the lower prices.  The Council had asked for permission from the Health Ministry to erect 50 houses.  One of the conditions of the subsidy was that the house should not be too large – not that the Government did not want them to have spacious dwellings, but it was assumed that the man who could afford a big house would not need the subsidy.  People must not build houses and then apply to the Council for the £100.  The Council must first be acquainted, so that the plans could be passed to conform with the requirements of the Act.  Mr. Perkins produced plans of the medium houses in King’s-road, which occupied 694 sq. ft. (less space than the Act would permit as a maximum – namely 950 sq. ft.), so that the new houses could be one-third bigger and still be within the limits of the Act.  The present-day cost, he said, would be about £312 for such a house, and the land would cost about £30 or £40.  The cost of the house did not affect the subsidy.  To enable people to get an estimate of the area of their houses as a comparison with the dimensions allowed by the Act, Mr. Perkins gave the floor-space of a pre-war 5s.  9d. house in Kings-road as follows: Parlour, 11ft 3in. by 11ft. 5in.; living-room, 11ft. 9in. by 11ft. 9in.; kitchen, 10ft. 3in. by 8ft.; bedrooms, 11ft. 3in. by 14ft. 9in., 11ft. 9in. by 9ft., and 8ft. by 10ft. 3in.  The total, as previously stated, was well within the maximum permitted.  People who borrowed the full £315 would repay the lending society by two yearly instalments of £15  15s., each representing interest and principal, besides which there would also be the rates to be paid.  In former days houses were rated according to the cost, but the rule to be observed in future was that the rates should not exceed those of similar houses built before 1914.  That was quite fair.  He believed that the rates on a house within the requirements of the Act would be, in Rushden, not more than £8 a year.  People were not bound to borrow from any particular society, nor, in fact, from a society at all, if they could borrow from an individual.  The Rushden Council were going to guarantee to a society that the first three or four years’ payments would be forthcoming.  As intending owners would have a £450 article for £350, they need not fear loss through depreciation before the house was theirs entirely.

  An official of a building society said that his society would pay 50 per cent. of the cost when the roof was on, and the remainder when completed.

  In reply to a number of questions, it was further stated by the Chairman, Mr. Mason, Mr. Lack, and Mr. Madin that people who could afford to do so were at liberty to build a row of houses and have the subsidy for each house.  The Council’s share of the £100 would be raised by loan, £5,000 having been applied for for 50 houses.  Only those who began to build before March 25^th, 1924, with an undertaking to finish before the end of the following September, could have one or more of the first 50 houses.  If more than 50 were applied for by intending owners, the Council could at once get the necessary permission for additional houses.  If the demand was very big, the Council would develop more of the land which had been acquired for the original scheme.  The cost of plots from the Council would be between £40 and £50.  The Water Board charge for a house having a fixed bath in a bathroom was 6s.  8d. a year, or about 1½d. a week.  Plans would not need to be passed by the Ministry of Health, but only by the Surveyor and the Rushden Council.  Rates would be as follow:  For houses similar to the pre-war 4s.  9d. houses in Kings-road, 2s.  1d. a week; similar to the pre-war 6s. 6d. houses, 2s.  10d. a week; so that the best houses would be rated at no more than £7  9s.  4d. a year (the figures quoted to include the water rate for bath).

  At the close of the meeting Mr. Perkins stated that the plans of houses and bungalows he had been displaying would be mounted on cardboard and placed in the Free Library for inspection by the public.  He emphasised that the style of building need not by any means be a copy of the specimen plans.  Providing that the terms of the Act were observed, people could have many different ideas in erecting their houses.