COUNCIL-owned buildings in Stratford district are being checked in the wake of the crumbling concrete crisis.
Stratford District Council is currently conducting surveys of all its buildings following the announcement last week that thousands of public buildings across the country could have been built using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Racc).
SDC chief executive David Buckland said: “As soon as widespread concerns with Raac in public buildings elsewhere were reported, the district council started work assessing the possibility of Raac in any council properties.”
SDC is specifically reviewing its data for buildings constructed in the second half of the 20th century and carrying out inspections of these buildings and properties to identify any that might have Raac.
Mr Buckland continued: “Our inspections will follow government advice and guidance to ensure thorough assessments are undertaken and we will take appropriate action to mitigate the risks if found. Comprehensive surveys are regularly conducted on council buildings and properties, but Raac has not previously been specifically looked for, this will now be included in the council’s programme.”
The move follows the revelation at the beginning of the month that more then 100 schools had been told to shut areas which had used Raac, causing massive disruption to the start of the term.
Myton School and Aylesford School in Warwick have been affected but no school in Stratford district has been identified as containing the weak concrete.
The Department for Education said the material widely used from the 1950s through to the 1990s was now “life expired” and could collapse with “little or no notice”. There have been several sudden collapses of Racc roof panels that appeared to be in good condition recently, escalating safety concerns that have been rumbling on for years.
The material has already been found in public buildings across the country including theatres and at Gatwick and Heathrow airports.
It is most likely to have also been used in government buildings, prisons, courts and hospitals.
The latest advice recommends buildings that have confirmed or suspected Raac should be closed until “appropriate mitigations are in place”, even where they would have been deemed “non-critical” in the past.
