Clay Lane Estate

The Building of the Clay Lane Estate.

14th May 1947 - The Estates and Housing Committee recommended that an application be made to the Ministry of Health for approval to erect 200 Easiform homes by Messrs John Laing and Sons Ltd on the Clay Lane site.

18th June 1947 - formal authorisation by the Ministry was given.

23 July 1947 - the Ministry offered a further allocation of 100 BISF homes and it was recommended by the Estates and Housing Committee that this offer be accepted and the houses be built on Clay Lane. There must have been a change of plan for although there are a great many BISF properties in the Wheatley Ward, which Clay Lane is part of, there were none actually built on the Clay Lane Estate.

20th August 1947 - rents. Tenants who do not have an income of over £400 per year: -

2nd September 1947 - the committee considered the revised lay-out of the plan of the proposed Clay Lane Estate and this was approved by the Highways Committee later that month on 24th September 1947 - the meeting also agreed that tenders were to be invited for the laying of roads and sewers on Clay Lane Estate.

7th October 1947 - recommended that an assurance be given to the Ministry of Health that, in the event of their sanction be received to the immediate erection of 200 Easiform houses on the Clay Lane site, such houses be let to miners.

19th November 1947 - tenders be invited for roads and sewers. A tender was submitted from Messrs John Laing and Sons for the erection of 200 Easiform (concrete) houses on the Clay Lane site amounting to £248,341 and it was recommended that the same be accepted, subject to them entering into a contract to be prepared by the Town Clerk and that application be made to the Ministry of Health for borrowing £249,000 such sum to include Clerk of Works salary.

21st January 1948 - It was resolved to recommend to the Highways Committee that the new roads on the Clay Lane Estate be named as follows, Wilberforce Road, Jefferson Avenue, Moffat Gardens, Chalmers Drive, Shackleton Road and Livingstone Avenue.

18th February 1948 - A letter read from the Ministry of Health approved the lay-out of site 11, the Clay Lane Estate and agreeing to the acceptance of the tender of Messrs P.P.Taylor (Doncaster Ltd) for the construction of roads and sewers of £34,555.-2s-2d.

24th February 1948 - Letter from Ministry of Health agreeing to the tender submitted by Messrs John Laing and Sons for the erection of 200 Easiform homes on the Clay Lane Estate at a total of £249,581-5s-10d.

18th August 1948 - Formal consent of the Ministry of Health to the appropriation of 46.018 acres of land at Clay Lane was submitted.
A letter was read from the Ministry enclosing formal authorisation to proceed to tender in respect of a further 92 houses and for entering into contracts for the erection of 28 houses on the same site by small builders. The acting Estate Surveyor reported that it was proposed to enter into contracts for the erection of the 28 houses as follows: -

27th August 1948 - Letter from Ministry approving acceptance of tenders to build the 28 properties by small builders at a cost of £34,146 such sum to include £12 per house for thermal insulation less £5 per house reduction in contingencies.

15th September 1948 - A report was submitted by the estates Surveyor with regard to the completion of houses on the Clay Lane Estate, although the usual services to such dwellings were not yet connected. Resolved that in the meantime such houses be let, but that the attention of the tenants is drawn to the delay in completing such services.

28th September 1948 - Committee considered tenders for 92 houses on Clay Lane the tender by Messrs Frank Haslam of £113,639-16s-7d be accepted.

13th October 1948 - Permission to borrow £34,500 for the erection of 28 properties was submitted.

17th November 1948 - Tenancies of new shops were listed although as yet there had been no mention of shops being built: -

15th December 1948 - formal consent to borrow £113,350 to build 92 houses.

19th January 1949 - tenders for electrical installations in 92 brick homes at cost of £2,852-17s-4d be accepted. Estate Surveyor to proceed to tender for surfacing of roads and flagging of footpaths on Clay Lane.

16th March 1949 - Tenders for above listed work awarded to General Asphalt Co. of London at cost of £16,224-16s-6d.
An application was submitted by Mr Morton for permission to erect a temporary shop on the estate which was agreed.

15th June 1949 - Permission to borrow £17,700 for roads and flagging.
Letter from Ministry approving 2 more houses and 12 old peoples bungalows plus the contract with Messrs Willey Bros. for the erection of 4 houses.

19th October 1949 - Letter submitted to Ministry of Health for the approval of 12 bungalows at a cost of £10,889-15s-0d by Works Department.

16th November 1949 - Temporary garage for PC Barton at 10 Chalmers Drive.

15th March 1950 - Health Committee applied for housing accommodation with regard to a service tenancy for a midwife on Clay Lane.

19th April 1950 - Permission for use of temporary expedient of 5 Jefferson Avenue as polling station on the occasion of the Municipal elections on the 11th proximo.

21st June 1950 - Plans for shops submitted to Ministry of Health.

17th July 1950 - rent for new homes: -

20 September 1950 - Works Department estimate for the erection of 14 homes on Clay Lane permission to borrow £14,000 to include salary of temporary Clerk of Works.

30th September 1950 - tenders for the erection of 7 shops and flats, Works Department estimate £15,985.

26th October 1950 - District Valuer land on Clay Lane for school site £1,790. It was 1953 before the school was ready to take its first pupils. The school was named St George's Church of England Primary School and inherited its name from the old St George's School (1816 - 1953) which was demolished to make way for the expansion of Doncaster town centre in the area near the cattle market.

15th November 1950 - formal consent given for the building of 14 homes.

20th December 1950 - Approval for shops at a cost of £15,985.
£2,643-6s-8d for re-turfing 12,200 square yards of verges and open spaces to be carried out by the Parks Department.

21 February 1951 - Formal consent for loan of £16, 250 for 7 shops and flats above.

18 April 1951 - rents for shops an economic rent +25% exclusive subsidies be fixed to be reviewed after two years + rates.
Some time later the Clay Lane Working Men's Club was built but sadly no community centre.
Approx. costing: -

Life was very difficult for the first tenants as they were living in the middle of a building site with work going on all around them. There were no tarmaced roads or pavements at first and as the name Clay Lane suggests the estate was built on an area of yellow clay which was picked up on their shoes, pram wheels etc every time the tenants went out.

I am indebted to Clr Moira Hood who researched the History of Clay Lane and this page can also be seen on the Doncaster Federation Website.

Moira Hood is Secretary of the Clay Lane Tennants and Residents Association (TARA) and the Clay Lane Estate Partnership Ltd and has passed the copyright to the Clay Lane Estate Partnership and this page may not be reproduced on any other site, or any publication in part or whole without permission from the Clay Lane Estate Partnership Ltd.