Housing secretary hears Aberdeen Raac resident concerns

Housing secretary Màiri McAllan has held her first face-to-face talks with some of the Aberdeen residents whose homes are due to be demolished due to the presence of potentially dangerous concrete.

More than 500 homes in the Balnagask area of the city contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).

McAllan held a private meeting with some residents and councillors in Aberdeen on Wednesday afternoon. There were later some angry exchanges outside between people and the local authority’s co-leaders Christian Allard and Ian Yuill.

The Scottish government agreed a funding deal worth £10m with Aberdeen City Council (ACC) earlier this month to help support residents.

Homeowners impacted are waiting to hear details of exactly how the money could be used.

Many are upset at ACC’s offers for their properties – saying it would leave them tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket.

The housing secretary told BBC Scotland News she was “really pleased” to get the “valuable opportunity” to hold the talks.

Asked about clarity on how the money would be spent, she said: “So we’ve now made that money available to ACC.

“It will be available for Raac, but the question of what it’s put to is very much a question for the city council.

“But the value of today was that homeowners got to make representations to the council about what they would like to see happen to it.”

She added that she hoped to see progress in “weeks not months”.

Raac stands for reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

It is a lightweight material that was used mostly in flat roofing, but also in floors and walls, between the 1950s and 1990s.

It is a cheaper alternative to standard concrete, is quicker to produce and easier to install.

It is aerated, or “bubbly” – like an Aero chocolate bar.

But it is less durable and has a lifespan of about 30 years.

Its structural behaviour differs significantly from traditional reinforced concrete.

Moreover, it is susceptible to structural failure when exposed to moisture. The bubbles can allow water to enter the material.

Raac is often coated with another material, such as bitumen on roofing panels. But this material can also degrade.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said Raac was now beyond its lifespan and could “collapse with little or no notice”.