Progress in Liverpool District.

CHAPTER XXXIX

SCHEMES UNDER THE ACT

LIVERPOOL, an acknowledged leader in housing reform, is claimed to have taken an equally prominent place in the matter of town planning process, and to have become a pattern which many of the larger provincial centres might very profitably follow. Its work in this direction commenced before the national measure came into being. Exceptional powers were bestowed on the Corporation twelve months earlier under the Liverpool Corporation (Streets and Buildings) Act, 1908, which has been amended and supplemented by the Liverpool Corporation Act, 1913. The Parliamentary Committee expressly allowed these unusual facilities as an experiment, and their value, not only in the way of imposing a minimum width of 80 ft. on new main thoroughfares, but also of providing a kind of supervisory veto over the planning of a building area, was very soon submitted to proof. Whether Liverpool's Act was or was not used as a model, there is a clear and obvious resemblance between it and the Housing and Town Planning, etc., Act, 1919, which was subsequently introduced by the President of the Local Government Board. Certainly the latter Act offered to Liverpool little more than it already possessed, but with the association of the two measures the authorities have an effectual weapon for preserving the undeveloped areas from haphazard treatment, and thus preventing the possible creation of potential slums.

Some indication may be afforded of the work now undertaken or in contemplation. The Corporation have already prepared the details of a town planning scheme at Oak Hill Park, an estate of 88 acres, near the eastern boundary; and authority applied for to deal in a similar manner with 1,220 acres in and around Mossley Hill. This latter area extends, approximately speaking, from the present city boundary to the shore of the river, and in its development the authorities will be able to specify the number of houses per acre, as well as to regulate the width of the leading thoroughfares. When this important scheme is further advanced, attention

will be directed to 1,460 acres in West Derby, land which extends from Broad Green to Clubmoor, and is in approximity to the Garden Suburb at Wavertree. Liverpool, moreover, will have to carry forward schemes which have been devised by the urban districts, which have been absorbed into the city. Prior to incorporation within the City of Liverpool the Allerton Council had completed the preliminaries of a town planning area which will cover about 1,250 acres, and embrace practically the whole of the district, apart from the Corporation cemetery and Calderstones Park. Little Woolton, previous also to incorporation, had selected about 400 acres, being all the land on the western side of the Cheshire Lines railway. It comprises the whole of the district that is not of a purely agricultural character. Sanction had been given to Much Woolton prior to incorporation for a scheme which involves about 993 acres in that urban district and in the rural district of Whiston. Leaving out the village and its immediate outskirts, which are already developed, this may be said to cover the entire area between Hunt's Cross and Gateacre. Summarized, it may be said that Liverpool has 2,768 acres provisionally specified for town planning purposes, and that an additional 2,643 acres have been provided by the extension of the boundaries in November, 1913. This will be altogether 5,411 acres, or considerably more than two-thirds of the joint size of Birkenhead and Wallasey.

The Ruislip-
Northwood
Scheme.

Probably the best illustration of a town planning scheme is that of the urban district of Ruislip-Northwood which is situate in the north-west corner of the County of Middlesex, is co-terminous with the ancient civil parish of Ruislip, and contains three separate centres, viz., Ruislip, Northwood and Eastcote. Except for these centres of population, the area is chiefly agricultural, but being only about 14 miles from London, the whole of the area is potential building land, and has been largely developed as such during the last twenty years. The scheme is dated 7th September, 1914.

The district is 6,585 acres in extent, and the population at the last census (1911) was 6,217. The rateable value is £66,550, and a penny rate produces about £240. The area of land in the scheme

is 5,750 acres, of which 5,690 acres are in the Ruislip-Northwood district and 60 acres in the Watford rural district which adjoins. The clauses of the scheme which are of special interest to housing reformers include the following

Space about Buildings, including

(45) Proportion of Area of Site which may be covered by Shops and other Buildings.

Building Lines. The proportion of land within the curtilage of the site of a shop, including a dwelling-house forming part thereof, hospital, workhouse, college, school (not being merely a dwelling-house so used), building of the warehouse class or domestic building not being a dwelling-house which may be occupied by buildings shall not exceed one-half of the whole area of the curtilage: Provided that subject to the by-laws for the time being in force with respect to open space in front or in rear of buildings in the case of a shop the extent of the buildings shall be measured at a level of 14 ft. above the mean level of the footway in front thereof.

(46) Proportion of area of site covered by dwelling-houses.

The proportion of land within the curtilage of the site of a dwellinghouse which may be occupied by buildings shall not exceed one-third of the whole area of the curtilage where such buildings are erected on land having a frontage to more than one street or where such buildings are dwellinghouses not exceeding one storey in height and one storey in the roof with offices and out-buildings attached thereto or used in connection therewith: Provided that, on the application of owners of land forming the curtilage of the sites of four separate dwelling-houses adjoining and having together a frontage to more than one street, the proportion of land which may be occupied by buildings shall be reckoned as an average over the area of the curtilages of such four sites. In all other cases of dwelling-houses such proportion of land shall not exceed one-fourth.

It will be seen from these clauses that in the case of most dwelling-houses not more than one-fourth of the building plot can be built upon that is to say, for each part built upon there shall be three parts left open. In the other instances where corner sites are dealt with, and in regard to shops and other business premises, the proportions vary, but the principles remain the same, viz.—

(1) That the greater the site of the building the larger must be the site left unbuilt upon; and

(2) That each dwelling-house must be provided with garden space quite irrespective of recreation grounds and other private or public spaces.

(47) Air space to habitable rooms.

Every habitable room shall have one window, at the least, opening directly into the external air, and the total area of such window, or if there be more than one, of the several windows, clear of the sash frames, shall

Such

be equal at the least to one-tenth of the floor area of such room. window or windows shall have an open space in front thereof and within the curtilage of the building of which such habitable room forms part not less across, measured at right angles to such window or windows, than five feet, and such open space shall extend throughout the full width of such window or windows and shall be free from any erection or building of a height extending above the level of the sill of such window or windows. No building shall be erected within such curtilage and opposite to any part of such window or windows the height whereof, measured from the level of the sill of the window, exceeds the distance between such building and such window or windows. Provided that it shall not be necessary for such open space to be provided within the curtilage of the building of which such habitable room forms part, if such window or windows have an open space in front thereof which is secured permanently to the satisfaction of the Council by covenant or otherwise.

In connection with the limitation of the number of buildings to the acre, it may be of interest to examine the standards adopted by the Birmingham City Council in their Quinton, Limitation of Number of Harborne, etc., and East Birmingham schemes, Buildings to the as well as those adopted by the Ruislip-Northwood Council in their scheme.

Acre.

In the Quinton, Harborne, etc., scheme the standard decided upon is an average of twelve dwelling-houses per acre the term "dwelling-house" being defined as a house "designed for occupation by not more than one family, together with such outbuildings as are reasonably required to be used or enjoyed therewith."

Provision is, however, made that on any one land unit the number which may be built on any one (gross) acre shall not exceed twenty dwelling-houses. In the event of twenty dwelling-houses being thus built there must be a less number built on other parts of the land unit. If, for example, the land unit is one of 10 acres, it will be possible under the Quinton, Harborne, etc., scheme to build as many as 100 houses on 5 acres of this land unit, but only on condition that not more than twenty houses are built on the other 5 acres.

It should be added that for certain small areas the owners are permitted to build up to twenty houses per acre over the whole of their land units. In the East Birmingham scheme there are three standards, viz., twelve, fifteen and eighteen dwelling-houses per gross acre. As in the Quinton and Harborne scheme, twenty dwelling-houses may be built on any one acre, provided that the maximum numbers stated above are not exceeded for each land unit. For certain special areas in the scheme twenty houses per

acre are permitted on any part of the land unit. The RuislipNorthwood clause is as follows

(49) Limitation of number of buildings to the acre.

(a) For the purpose of this clause the expression "land" shall be deemed to include all land other than that on which pursuant to the provisions of this Scheme an owner is precluded from erecting buildings other than shops or business premises or on which he is authorized to erect shops or business premises or buildings of the warehouse class and has by notice in writing to the Council indicated his determination to erect shops or business premises or buildings of the warehouse class.

(b) All land which belonged to the same owner on the 16th day of January, 1911, and which is comprised within any one of the squares marked in red lines on the map and in the same restricted area (as hereinafter defined) shall form a "land unit."

Provided that where land which is comprised in any such square adjoins or is a continuous part of other land belonging to the same owner on the 16th day of January, 1911, in the same restricted area but comprised in some other square or squares, then

(1) If the area of such lands does not exceed five acres they shall together form one land unit;

(2) If the area of such lands exceeds five acres the Council shall, on the application of the owner or owners for the time being, vary the land units as above defined by combining the whole or parts of two or more such land units to form one land unit, but so that no land unit shall be formed to comprise more than seven acres.

(c) There shall not be built on each land unit within a restricted area edged with yellow on the map on the average a greater number of buildings to the acre than four, or on each land unit within a restricted area edged with orange on the map a similar greater average number than six or on each land unit within a restricted area edged with the medium green on the map a similar greater average number than eight or on each land unit within a restricted area edged with blue on the map a similar greater average number than twelve.

In reckoning the number of buildings which may be erected on a land unit the area of all roads or parts of roads constructed or to be constructed on or across the land unit, including any existing road dedicated to the public on or across the land unit and one-half of any such existing road adjoining the boundary of the land unit, shall be part of the land unit.

Provided that nothing in this sub-clause contained shall be deemed to prevent the erection of one building on any land unit.

(d) On no single acre of land within a land unit shall more than twenty buildings be erected. The site of any road shall not be included in the measurement of the acre for the purpose of this sub-clause.

(e) Where land is set apart to the approval of the Council in manner provided by this Scheme for the purpose of a public open space or private open space then, subject to sub-clause (d) of this Clause, the number of buildings which an owner might have erected on the land so set apart in any land unit on the basis fixed by sub-clause (c) of this Clause (1) may be added to the number which may on the same basis be erected on the remaining portion or portions (if any) of the land unit or (2) may be added, in manner to be approved by the Council, to the number which may be erected on any land unit or land units belonging to the same owner (or, by agreement, belonging to different owners) and in the same restricted area.

(f) Where in consequence of any adjustment of boundaries of any estate or lands under Clause 27 of this Scheme, or by reason of change of ownership of any lands, or on any other ground, it appears to the Council on the application