| AdminHistory | The House Building Committee was formed in September 1950 and consisted of fourteen members, two of which were selected from the Public Works Department, who had transferred their house building function to this new committee, plus two members from the newly appointed Housing Management Committee (see BCC/1/CY).
The full functions of the committee were to review housing conditions in the city, in consultation with the Housing Management Committee (see BCC/1/CY) and the Health Committee (see BCC/1/CS), and to prepare and execute proposals for the provision and improvement of housing accommodation; the acquisition and preparation of land for housing development, including compulsory purchase orders; the development of housing estates; the erection of houses; general house conversions; the granting of building licences; the negotiation of house building contracts; the requisitioning of housing premises; the supply of building materials and the provision of assistance to housing societies. Further, in 1954 the Council set up its own Building Department, initially called the Direct Labour Building Committee, to carry out house building and repairs itself rather than sub-contracting to private building firms.
After April, 1968, the House Building Committee was disestablished and its functions, along with those of the New Estates Committee (see BCC/1/AM) and the Housing Management Committee, were transferred to the new Housing Committee (see BCC/1/DH). |