At the end of the Second World War it was generally
accepted that the standard of housing in many UK towns and cities was not at
all adequate, many buildings already in a serious state of dilapidation prior
to the outbreak of war, had suffered further damage from aerial bombardment
making restoration or repair not possible. Many important buildings were lost
at this time and when in 1941 the ministry of works started to appoint
regional panels of architects to make lists of important buildings worth
saving, some of the countries fine buildings began to receive a degree of
protection. By 1944, realizing that the war was coming to an end, plans were
already well under way for post war rebuilding in Britain but how would local
authorities meet the housing needs of a country brought to its knees by both
the human & economic cost of a war. Of course, there was some mileage in the
preservation of important and architecturally interesting buildings but a
large proportion of the housing stock was basically, slum housing, fit only
for clearance.
For too long, persons had been living in cramped unsuitable
conditions and an alternative had to be sought for UK citizens who frankly,
deserved better.
There were many problems facing developers and town
planners, firstly, these were austere times, money was in short supply and
social housing needs had to be addressed in an economic fashion. Faced with a
shortage of space and not enough land, developers decided to build upwards and
hence the tower block came in to existence.
The skylines of our major towns and cities have changed
dramatically since this time. Before 1950, there were hardly any high rise
residential blocks of
flats in London and their appearance must have seemed a novelty at
first. Designed as a quick fix, to provide homes, they were initially very
popular, many offered spectacular views and of course, they were brand new,
many of the residents were used to living in crumbling accommodation with poor
sanitation. These new blocks of flats were a welcome change to these
conditions, with some property not having any upgrade work in over half a
century.
Whatever was to follow in the coming years and however much
derided, the tower block became, there is no doubt that this new style of
housing offered hope and a much needed lift to parts of the population that
had had to bear the brunt of enemy action, often on a nightly basis. Hailed as
the answer to post war housing problems, they were seen as the ideal
accommodation to help Britons after the difficult war years. Accounts vary as
to the number of tower blocks constructed in total since this time but it is
estimated that as many as 40% of the total number constructed were in London.
Construction of blocks took off in the fifties and the boom
years for tower blocks of flats lasted approximately 20 years. However, by
this time, their appeal was on the wane as people that had to live in them had
developed a whole raft of complaints, which were mostly attributed to the
design and build of the blocks themselves. These included
A sense of
isolation leading to depression.
Concerns over the
safety of children.
Poor play areas
or no play facilities.
Concerns over the
risk of fires.
Concerns of poor
maintenance and general building condition.
Problems with
dampness & Condensation
Problems with
noise from other flats
Poor home
security
Infestations from
rodents and other vermin
Abusive
neighbours
Poor layout
enabling crime to flourish.
Most of these concerns can be attributed to poor design and
build quality and a lack of thought in the planning stage. To be fair to
planners at the time, many of these problems could not have been foreseen,
blocks of flats dwelling was a relatively new concept and often changes in
building design often only come about as a result of experience. To a certain
extent as well, authoritys hands were tied but constraints of budgets and
often problems were encountered by cheaply constructed buildings, reaching the
end of their natural life.
By the 1970s, tower block construction had all but halted,
local authorities began to look for other alternatives to meeting housing
needs and a number of blocks were pulled down.
During the 1980s, there was a resurgent interest in the
building of blocks of flats and with the huge regeneration seen in the east
end of London, many new properties were constructed and living in a block of
flats by the water side ( any water, river or canal) was seen as the height of
fashion.
Attempts were made to deal with problems encountered in the
past, modern construction methods were employed and the quality of materials
used was much improved. It is generally accepted that high rise blocks are
constructed with more than 6 stories and the new tendency, was to construct
more low rise blocks of better quality with more attention paid to the local
environment and to the actual internal fitting out of the flats
Security has also been very much improved, most new flats
come equipped with deadlocks to secure the doors and where appropriate, key
operated window locks. Many blocks have additional security features such as
lighting and video entry phone systems.
Whilst local authorities and housing associations have not
been so prolific in their constructions of these types of buildings, private
developers have been over zealous in the construction of flats in almost all
parts of the country. Often, large houses are demolished with a new luxury
block erected in its place. Odd now to think that the humble tower block, once
constructed to help ease housing problems is now available in various formats
in such prodigious numbers that many new blocks of flats are lying empty with
people unable to either afford the rents or the costs of purchase.
