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Somerset County Herald and Taunton Courier. Saturday 15 Aug 1959
Page 3 Column 7
Builders Cannot Get Sites
Taunton Council Is After 38 Acres
TAUNTON Town Council's demands for housing sites are making things difficult for private builders, the Town Council was told on Tuesday.
The Council agreed to negotiate by September, 1960, for 38 acres north of the Pyrland Estate and to seek planning permission for half of the 4½ acres of allotment land at the north-east of Priorswood to be used for council houses.
Mr. Rex WILLIAMS said the decision meant that no private builder could use the land. He asked how much land the Council now held for housing and how many houses were to be built.
Galmington Sell-Out
Recently a private firm put up 50 terrace houses at Galmington in three or four months. All were sold and the firm urgently wanted more land.
'The builders are frustrated either by the planning office or by intending vendors, who say “The Council is after this land”.'
The Council were now denying the builders another 38 acres and denying people the right to own their own homes.
Mr. M. W. WOODBURY stressed the urgency for council houses, with 1,200 people on the waiting list.
'It is our job to encourage people to buy their own homes', he said, 'but some do not want to, or cannot afford to'.
Mr. R. Shirley SMITH; How many of the tenants at Galmington had their names on the Council's list at one time.
Mr. F. G. DOWELL, housing committee chairman, said they were being pressed for houses for key workers, but these workers must not take precedence over those who had been on the waiting list for a long time.
The Council now had very little land left for development, and experience showed that it took two to three years before building could start after land had been acquired.
Houses for Key Workers
Six terrace houses are to be bought by the Council for key workers employed by Avimo, Ltd.
The housing committee have accepted the view of the Study Group that to house key workers for new, expanding industries will benefit the town's economy. The committee will not promise council houses, but would agree to the purchase of six houses near the firm's factory for letting to the firm at economic rents.
It was agreed to buy the first two- No.76, Wood Street from T. S. Penny, Ltd., for £900 and No. 9, Malvern Terrace at a figure approved by the Borough Treasurer.
Each house will need renovations costing about £300 part of which will be met from improvement grants.
The Council rejected a similar request for houses by Penny & Reeves, Ltd.
No Sale of Council Houses
Councillor D. V. CLOSE, has suggested that tenants should be allowed to buy council houses: that all council houses should have inside toilets and that there should be power points, upstairs and down, in all council houses.
The Council agreed to take no action on the sale of council houses, but to consider the cost of modernizing all their pre-war houses.
At a cost of £4,167 the housing maintenance department will repair and re-cover the roofs of 225 temporary bungalows.