A Spectator's Notebook
I HAVE. HEARD from a friend in. Windsor a story of remarkable muddle. The Council have a sluni-clearance plan based on a leapfrog principle. They have taken the town's blackest spot, rehoused its dwellers and now intend to redevelop the site to rehouse people from the second blackest spot. The Council's own architect working with two others prepared a layout plan for the site's redevelopment and the Council staff started to prepare specifications and quantities to go to tender, meanwhile submitting the plan to the Berkshire County Council and also to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government. The County Planning Officer threw out the plan on the grounds that the. 62 dwellings shown resulted in too great a density. The Ministry's regional architect threw out the plan on the grounds that some of the gardens were too small and there was no place for a garage block. He then prepared another plan which resulted in 56 dwellings. The Council protested that it did not want a new plan; for that would mean recalculating specifica- tions and quantities; that not all the new tenants would want gardens; that if garages were wanted they could be provided near by. Further it required 62 not 56 dwellings. The Ministry's architect then suggested a plan which would result in 64 dwel- lings : a. rather greater density than that already rejected by the County Planning Officer! When the Council protested against this thickening muddle they met with the polite 'blackmail' that if they do not want delay they had better agree to the Regional Officer's scheme.
*
Previous page
