Progress on RAAC repairs in Dumfries and Galloway buildings
The first stages of work at two local schools has been completed
The crucial first stage of repairs to remove potentially dangerous concrete panels have been completed at two schools in Dumfries and Galloway.
The “initial remedial works” for dealing with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) at Dumfries Academy and Gatehouse Primary are now finished, council chiefs have confirmed.
At Carrutherstown Primary in Dumfries, the initial remedial works are “80 percent complete with the final phase being programmed for the Easter break”, according to the local authority.
Meanwhile, similar repair works are still ongoing at Laurieknowe Primary in Dumfries.
RAAC has also been discovered at Annan Swimming Pool
When asked about progress on removing the same dangerous material found at Annan Swimming Pool, a council spokeswoman said: “Initial remedial works proposals are being developed by the council’s structural engineers and these works will be undertaken within the next three months.”
It emerged in May last year that at least 37 schools in 11 Scottish council areas had been built with RAAC, which is an inferior material that some structural engineers have warned could eventually lead to a collapse.
While there is no suggestion of any immediate danger in the Dumfries schools or Annan Swimming Pool, council bosses took swift action and signed off a £500,000 repair bill to address these remedial works to ensure the buildings are safe.
Following a freedom of information (FOI) request, the council confirmed that all 470 council buildings had been fully inspected for RAAC, including 114 schools, 60 public toilets, 33 leisure facilities, and 20 community centres.
FOI request reveals where RAAC was used
Of the four schools and Annan Swimming Pool where RAAC was discovered, the council was also asked in the FOI request where this material was located and how much of it was within the fabric of the building.
It was confirmed that RAAC was used in the roofs of these buildings and covered the following areas: Laurieknowe Primary – 2031 sq m, Carrutherstown Primary – 460 sq m, Gatehouse Primary School – 650 sq m, Dumfries Academy – 560 m2, and Annan Swimming Pool – 250m sq m.
Speaking at a council meeting in November, Paul McCulloch, the council’s property estates and programmes manager, suggested that more extensive work will have to be done.
He said: “This initial ask is for £500,000 to address the initial remedial works required.
“We go on to talk about the need for a RAAC removal programme longer term. It’s quite clear that we can’t have RAAC in the estate over the longer period.
“This initial work will address issues that we’ve got currently, but the intention is to come back with fully costed proposals for removal of all RAAC within our estate – both within the schools and within the other building that we’ve identified at Annan Swimming Pool.”
The full costings for the entire repairs project have not yet been drawn up.