Local Practices

Local practices
Many towns retain individuality - byelaws require roofs in stone or slate, walls in brick or stone. Many areas use thatch and timber as traditional building materials - sufficient distance between buildings preventing fire spread.
Speculative building
Speculative builders are not motivated by social, aesthetic or philanthropic considerations and lobby councils not to adopt the byelaws - back to back houses are still erected in Leeds in 1936!

The density of development is influenced by the byelaw requirements for "space about buildings"
Density of development
The requirement for space about buildings varies from town to town.

Later byelaws require space in front of buildings as well as at the rear resulting in small front gardens.
Cellars are controlled for size, height and ventilation, resulting in the construction becoming uneconomic.