Morris, John C.

John C. Morris served as the Willesden Borough Engineer and Surveyor and authored the Willesden Survey 1949, one of several post-Second World War planning documents produced by London’s local and city-wide authorities (the most notable being Patrick Abercrombie's Greater London Plan). Morris's report was a for the most part a survey of the borough rather than a redevelopment blueprint. While it highlighted perceived deficiencies in social and housing provision, it did not advocate any sweeping changes. Nevertheless, in line with much post-war planning ideology—and in this author's opinion—the proposed remedies proved to be more detrimental than maintaining the existing conditions. The one area singled out by Morris as ripe for immediate redevelopment—South Kilburn—saw its attractive, high-density Victorian terraced housing demolished and replaced by an estate of high-rise brutalist tower blocks. By the early twenty-first century, these tower blocks had become notorious for crime and vermin infestations, necessitating yet another comprehensive redevelopment. Meanwhile, the adjacent Queen's Park area, whose Victorian houses Morris predicted in 1949 had "less than 20 years' useful life remaining," has evolved into a highly sought-after residential neighborhood, much of which is now designated as a Conservation Area which retains almost all of its period housing. Go figure.