1. Duty of local authority to prepare housing schemes
(1) It shall be the duty of every local authority within the meaning of Part III. of the [53 & 54 Vict. c. 70.] Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890 (hereinafter referred to as the principal Act), to consider the needs of their area with respect to the provision of houses for the working classes, and within three months after the passing of this Act, and thereafter as often as occasion arises, or within three months after notice has been given to them by the Local Government Board, to prepare and submit to the Local Government Board a scheme for the exercise of their powers under the said Part III.
(2) A scheme under this section shall specify—
(a) the approximate number and the nature of the houses to be provided by the local authority ;
(b) the approximate quantity of land to be Required and the localities in which land is to be acquired ;
(c) the average number of houses per acre ;
(d) the time within which the scheme or any part thereof is to be carried into effect; and the scheme may contain such incidental, consequential and supplemental provisions (including provisions as to the subsequent variation of the scheme) as may appear necessary or proper for the purpose of the scheme.
(3) The Local Government Board may approve any such scheme or any part thereof without modification or subject to such modifications as they may think fit, and the scheme or part thereof when so approved shall be binding on the local authority; but if the Board consider the scheme inadequate they may refuse to approve the scheme and require the authority to prepare and submit to them an adequate scheme within such time as they may fix, or they may approve the scheme or part thereof subject to the condition that the authority prepare and submit to them a further scheme within such time as they may fix : Provided that local authorities in preparing, and the Local Government Board in approving, any scheme shall take into account, and so far as possible preserve, existing erections of architectural, historic, or artistic interest, and shall have regard to the natural amenities of the locality, and, in order to secure-that the houses proposed to be built under the scheme shall be of a suitable architecture and that the natural amenities of the locality shall not be unnecessarily injured, the Local Government Board may, in any case where it appears to them that the character of the locality renders such a course expedient, require as a condition of their approval the employment by the local authority of an architect to be selected from a panel of architects nominated for the purpose by the Royal Institute of British Architects.
(4) Before the Local Government Board finally approve a scheme, the local authority shall furnish to them estimates of the cost of the scheme and of the rents expected to be derived from the houses provided under the scheme.
(5) If the Local Government Board consider as respects any local authority that an occasion for the preparation of a new scheme has arisen, they shall give notice to that effect to the local authority, and thereupon such an occasion shall be deemed to have arisen.
(6) Where the local authorities concerned or the Local Government Board are of opinion that a scheme should be made affecting the areas of two or more local authorities, such a scheme shall be prepared by the local authorities jointly and the local authority of each area to which any part of any such joint scheme applies may, or, if the Local Government Board after giving the local authority an opportunity of being heard so direct, shall carry out that part of the joint scheme, and for the purposes of this subsection "local authority" shall, in any case where the Local Government Board consent, and subject to any conditions which the Board may prescribe, include a county council.
(7) Local authorities in preparing, and the Local Government Board in approving, schemes shall make inquiry respecting and take into account any proposals by other bodies and persons to provide housing accommodation.
(8) Where any proposals as to the provision of houses for the working classes have before the passing of this Act been submitted to the Local Government Board by a local authority and those proposals have been approved by the Board, either before or after the passing of this Act, the proposals may, if the Board so direct, be treated, for any of the purposes of this Act, as if they were a scheme submitted and approved under this section.
