ment Act, the Board had the power to interpose until the plans had been submitted and approved of. Coun. Howell was of opinion that the Board too often interfered in an unnecessary manner with the alteration of premises. The house was not going to be rebuilt, and it was no business of the Board’s whether it was intended to put a shop-front in or not. Coun. Putland called attention to the word “altered” as well as “rebuilt”, and ably contended that the whole tenor of the law was to prevent A making any alteration which would injure his neighbours B & C. He thought the Board did right to interfere and that the Clerk had taken the proper course. It was then agreed that the question should remain in the care of the Roads Committee. A memorial was afterwards presented to the Board from a number of inhabitants of Verulam place and Eversfield place, requesting the Board to adopt such powers as their Act gave them to compel the owner of No 1 Verulam place to alter the front of the shop there recently made so that it should not project beyond the other houses. But a difficulty presented itself in the fact that the Board had already sanctioned shop-fronts at the western end of Eversfield place. The Clerk opined that the Board was not in a good position, in consequence of not following up the notice given by the Surveyor to the owner of the house. Ald. Rock thought the Board had not quite lost all power, and he therefore proposed that the memorial be referred to the Road’s Committee, with a request that Mr. Growse should examine the law bearing upon the matter.
At the next meeting, (Dec. 7th) Mr. Growse said the Committee had agreed to postpone their report on the memorial, until the next monthly meeting. (See Chap. LXV.)
Dedication of Streets.
At the October meeting a memorial was presented by the Road’s Committee for the dedication of Union Row, Alfred Street, &c., such memorial having been sent in by the owners and inhabitants of districts thus named. It was explained that the Board could only take over roads and streets on the written application of the owners and occupiers, even if all parties were agreeable. The memorial was here legally complied with.
District Rates.
A general district rate at 7d. in the pound, to produce £2290, was passed at the meeting on Jan. 6th.
At the July meeting an eightpenny rate was agreed to, after a good deal of discussion. Coun. Bromley remarked that twelve month7 ago a sixpenny rate was sufficient, and if they went on increasing their expenses a shilling[1] rate would soon be necessary. They improved streets and lanes faster than the burgesses could -
- ↑ An explanation of old currency and coinage may be found at the following website Pre-decimal currency, accessdate: 16 June 2022
