The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-16 00:00:00

DRAINAGE OF BUIL

'DIN GS, &c.

The Marquis of Normanby has laid upon the table
of the House of L-..r '•
tained leave on the 29,h ult., entitled " An Act for
the better Drainage and Improvement of Buildings in
large Towns and Villages."
The following are the principal provisi.ons of such
Bill :

Preamble.—Whereas there is great need of vanatory
regulations in the towns and populous places of this
realm, especially by reason of the crowded and un-
healthy manner of building the dwellings of the work-
ing classes, and for want of sufficient means of drain-
age, whereby disease is engendered and aggravated ; be
it therefore enacted, &c.
Clause l . enacts, that after the passing of this Act
it shall not be lawful to build any house in any borough
or market town, or in any town or village having more
then thousand inhabitants, unless a brick or stone
barrel drain, being not less than nine inches in diameter,
and falling at least One inch in every five feet of its
knoll, be first constructed to the satisfaction of the
Commissioners of Sewers having jurisdiction there,
which drain shall lead from a level riot higher than the
lev,l of the lowest floor of the building to such common
sewer, drain, or V 4 atercourse as the Commissioners shall
direct.

2. Provides regarding drains for houses already built.
—That in all cases where any house built before the
passing of this Act in any such town or village shall
not be drained by a sufficient drain communicating with
some ca.ntrion setsel, drain, or watercourse, to the ss-
tisfsetion of the Commissioners of Sewers, and if a com-
mon sewer, drain, or watercourse of sufficient size, un-
der V.-le juris fiction of the Commissioners of Sewers,
shall pass cloog any public thoroughfare or wey in front
of any part of such house, on a lower level than the
cellar or lowest floor of such house, it shall be lawful
for the said Commissioners to give notice in writing,
signed by any surveyor or officer appointed by them
for that purpose, to the occupier of such htiuse, requir-
ing- such occupier forthwith, or within such reasonable
Late as shall therefore be appointed by the said Com-
missioners, to construct a brick or stone barrel drain, not
less than nine inches in diameter, and with such fall as to
the Commissioners shall seem most advisable, from the
said house to the said common sewer, drain, or water-
course ; and if the occupier or owner of such house shall
refuse or neglect, during 14 days next after the said
notice shall have been delivered to such occupier or left
at such house, to begin to construct such drain, or shall
thereafter fail" to carry it on and complete it with all
reasonabie despatch, it shall be lawful for the said
Commissioners to construct the same, and to recover
the expenses to be incurred thereby by distress and sale
of the goods and chattels either of the owner or of the
then present or any future occupier of such house as
hereinafter mentioned, by warrant under the hands and
seals of six or more of the said Commissioners.
That whenever in any such town or village any
house shall be rebuilt on an old foundation, the level
of the lowest floor shall be raised sufficiently to
allow of the construction of such a drain as is herein-
before provided in the case of houses to be built
therein after the passing of this Act, and for that pur-
pose the levels shall be taken and determined under the
direction of the Commissioners of Sewers.
4. Empowers Commissioners to make new sewers,
5. Enacts that the necessity for new sewers, Ste.,
be inquired by Jury, ns in 3 and 4 Willem IV., c. 22.
6. Notice of private drains to be given to the
Commissioners.
7. Provides for the inspection of drains, that it
shall be lawful for the Commissioners of Sewers
having jurisdiction in any such town or village, or for
their surveyor, or such other person as they shall op.
point, to inspect any drain or water-course made or to
be made within their jurisdiction, and for that purpose
to cause the ground to be opened in any place they
shall think fit, doing as little damage as may be ; and
if such drain or watercourse shall he found to be
made according to the direction of the Commissioners,
they shall cause the same to be closed and made good
as soon as may be, and the expenses of opening, closing,
and making good such drain or watercourse shall be
defrayed by the said Commissioners out of the rates
and assessments authorized to be made by them by
the laws in force relating to sewers.
8. Enforces that private drains, &c., be cleansed by
occupiers, and that if the owner or occupier of any land or
tenement to which any private drain, watercourse, cess-
pool, or privy shall belong, shall neglect to repair or
cleanse the same in the manner required by the said
Commissioners, during 14 days after notice in writing
for that purpose, signed by any such surveyor or officer,
shall have been given to such occupier, or left upon the
premises, it shall he lawful for the said Commissioners
to order such private drain, watercourse, cesspool, or
privy to be repaired and cleansed, and to levy and re-
cover the costs and expenses thereof by distress and
sale of the goods and chattels either of the owners or of
the occupiers so neglecting to repair- and cleanse the
same, by warrant under the hands and seals of any six
or more of the said Commissioners, and may otherwise
punish such offender by fine or amerciarnent in such
manner and form as any fine or amerciatnent may be set
or imposed by the said Commissioners of Sewers ae-
coHing to the laws of this realm relating to the autho-
rity of Commissioners of Sewers.
9. Provides that occupiers at rack rent are not to
pay more than rent due from them.
10. Enacts that tenants may deduct rates from rent.
11. Specifies who are owners, that, for the purposes
of this Act, any person receiving any rent fur the use
and occupation of any land or tenement, either on his
own account or as agent for any other person, shall be
deemed an owner thereof, and shall be liable to be dis-
trained by his goods and chattels for such sums as are
herein declared to be payable by such owner : provided
always, that if any owner shall have paid a greater pro-
portion of the whole sum charged against the owners
and occupiers of such lands and tenements than accord.
ing to the provisions of this Act is authorized to be
deducted out of the rent payable to him, if such sum
had been paid by his tenant or lessee, it shall be lawful
for such owner to recover the surplus from his tenant
or lessee by action of debt in any of her Majesty's
Courts of Record at Westminster, and for such tenant
or lessee, in his turn, to recover, in like manner, from
his sub-tenant or sublessee, if any, so much of the sur-
plus which he shall have so made good to his landlord
as exceeds the sum authorized by this Act to be de
ducted from any rent payable to him by such sub-tenon:
or sub-lessee.
12. Act to be construed with 3 and 4 William IV
c. 22.

13. Repeals part of 3 and 4 WllliAm I V., c. 22 s\ GI.
14. Repeals 3 and 4 William IV., c. 22, § 62.
15 provides that the qualification of Commissioners
in the city of Landon not to be affected by 3 and 4
William IV., c. 22 : and powers given by any local or
private Act not to be abridged.
16. Surveyors to be appointed.
17. Notice of buildings to be given to survevor.—

That before beginning to build any-house in such town
or village, the, master workmen or other person causing
such house to be built shall give twenty-five days' no-
tice to the surveyor within whose district the same
shall be, and such surveyor shall view the house, and
see that all the rules in this Act which it is his duty to
enforce are well and truly observed ; and such suns of
money shall be paid by the master workman or other
person causing the house-to ba built, to the surveyor, for
his trouble therein, as he shall be entitled to receive ac-
cording to a table of fees to be settled by the Council of
the borough at a quarterly meeting, where the district is
within an incorporated borough, or else by the Justices in
general or quarter sessions assembled of the county or
other jurisdiction within which the district is situated,
but so nevertheless that the highest fee to be allowed by
such table shall not be more than 3/. 10s., nor shall the
lowest fee thereby allowed be less than 15s. ; and in
default of payment of any such fee, the same shall be
levied, by warrant of any Justice of the Peace having
jurisdiction within the district, by distress and sale of
the goods and chattels of such master workman orot her
person causing the house to be built, with the reasun-
able costs and charges of such distress and sale.
18. Imposes treble fees on default of notice.
19. Enacts that houses are not to be built below the
level of the ground without areas.
20. Houses not to be built in close alleys.—That it
shall not be lawful to build any house in any such town
or village in any court or alley through which there
shall not be an open space at each end thereof at least 20
feet wide, and entirely open from the ground upwards.
21. Enacts that houses be not built hack to back.
22. Regulating width of streets.—T
hat it shall not
be lawful to build any two opposite rows of houses in
any such town or village which shall be separated from
each other, by a space of not less than 25 feet wide
where there is a carriageway between such houses, or
not less than 20 feet in the case of alleys and foot pas-
sages where there is no carriage-waY.
23. Enacts that walls be founded on concrete.
24. Level of the ground-floors.—That the level of
ground-floor of every house to be built after this Act in
any such town or village shall be at least 18 inches
above the level of the foot way or road adjoining such
house, and air bricks shall be built in the front and
hack walls 9 inches below the lvel of the floor, so as to
allow the free circulation of air beneath it.
25. Regulating size of rooms.--That no roam in
any house built after the passing of this Act in any
such town or village, having only one room on the ground
floor, or having only four in all, shall be less than
..y rooms
8 feet in height from the floor to the ceiling ; and in
every such house there shall be at least one room of not
less dimensions than 12 feet from the back to the front
iu the clear thereof, and 12 feet from one side to the
other side in the clear thereof, exclusive of any space
which may be taken off for any closet or staircase.
26. Regulating windows.—That in every room con-
taining 144 square feet of flooring in any house built
after the passing of this Act in any such town or village,
there shall be at least one window, the dimensions of
which shall be not less than 4 feet 9 inches in height,
and pot less than 3 feet wide in the clear of the sash
frame ; and every such window shall be either a case-
meat window opening on binges, or the sashes shall be
double hung, opening both at the top and bottom.