More than 500 Balnagask RAAC homes recommended to be demolished and rebuilt

More than 500 Balnagask homes affected by RAAC face being torn down and rebuilt at the cost of £150 million.

Aberdeen City councillors will consider the recommended plans at a council meeting on Wednesday 21 August.

In February, 366 council-owned properties and 138 privately owned properties in Torry were identified to contain the collapse-risk concrete which was commonly used in the 50s and 60s.

RAAC is highly porous - with steel reinforcements less well-bonded than in traditional concrete - making roofs liable to collapse suddenly.

Since residents were told they would need to leave their homes, 151 council tenants have been relocated to alternative accommodation and a target has been set to move the remaining tenants by the end of this year.

A report going before councillors next week has recommended that the preferred option for the site is to demolish and rebuild the homes.

Councillors will be asked to move ahead with the initial demolition phase on Wednesday which is expected to take up to 4 years at a cost of around £25 million.

The local authority will be tasked with entering negotiations with private homeowners to purchase properties at market value.

It is noted within the report that "Market Value would be at the date of valuation and any market valuation would therefore reflect the presence of RAAC in the property at the cost of remediation and solution.

"In some circumstances this will be less than the price paid for properties and will create negative equity situations for owners and their mortgage providers."

Homeowners raise concerns

Amie Bruce, 27, bought her home two years ago and says everyone is "gutted" at the plans to demolish their homes.

Ms. Bruce is worried the purchase offer for her property might not cover the remainder of her mortgage: "If I'm going to be owed my bank £70,000 then I can't even look at a future, I wont even have a home. I won't have anywhere to live.

"I won't be entitled to support by the council to pay for council tax or rent because I work full time and earn a decent wage which I fully respect.

"But if I'm paying a mortgage off that is flattened, I don't have the money to then pay rent to the council and pay council tax and pay bills. I don't have money to go and private rent somewhere else.

"But I won't be able to stay in my home because it will be flattened.

"So, then what? I will be homeless, that is the end of the story, I will be homeless but will still have a well-paid job so won't be entitled to the support that we need."

Amie also raised concerns about the timelines of the council's recommended plans.

The report states the demolition process could take 3 to 4 years and plans on the rebuilding process will not be ready until 2025.

But Ms. Bruce believes they have waited long enough for answers: "If we have to wait another year, two years, for an offer to be accepted and to move on - that's two years of my life wasted.

"It already seems like two and a half years have been wasted in this house because it's not going to be there anymore. I don't want to waste another two years.

"I want to move on, I want a home that is going to be my future. I want to be able to decorate, I want to be able to do things to my garden, I want to enjoy life. This is not what I expected when I bought a house."

The report says as part of negotiations with private owners, rehoming support will be given.

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