RAAC found in Oldham Civic Centre and Queen Elizabeth Hall

The collapse-prone material has previously been found in the roof of Royal Oldham Hospital and has been likened to a ‘chocolate aero bar’, with more than 100 schools and colleges across the country affected.

Back in September, Oldham Council said none of its schools or buildings had found any RAAC, but that assessments were expected to take another three months to complete.

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In a statement posted on the Oldham Council website on Friday, December 22, the council says the RAAC is in ‘good condition’ with ‘no signs of deterioration’ and that the buildings are ‘compliant and safe’.

The Civic Centre and Queen Elizabeth Hall sites have been expected to be used as housing as part of town centre regeneration plans, with council staff set to relocate to Spindles shopping centre.

The statement in full is as follows: “You may remember a few months ago, the media reporting on building safety issues in relation to a type of concrete called RAAC.

“RAAC has been known to cause structural failure in buildings when it is in poor condition as the concrete can degrade. There is no other known health and safety risk related to RAAC being present in a building.

“As RAAC was used a lot in the construction and modification of buildings from the 1950s to 1990, we have been following Government guidance to assess all public buildings which might have seen amendments, alternations and construction during this time.

“We want to reassure all residents that after careful assessments, there are no known RAAC issues in any of Oldham’s schools.

“However, there has been confirmation of RAAC found in two public buildings – namely the Civic Centre and the Queen Elizabeth Hall.  Both of these buildings have been reviewed. The RAAC is in good condition and there are no signs of deterioration, therefore the buildings are compliant and safe and day-to-day use of the buildings can continue as normal.

“Events will continue in the QE Hall as planned. Meanwhile, the Civic Centre will continue to be used until the new office space in Spindles is completed early next year, and the new community and civic space is completed in the Old Library building.

“As with every public building, regular health and safety and compliance checks are standard practice. If anything changes, any necessary and appropriate action will be taken at that time.”

Oldham Civic Centre contains RAAC (Image: Oldham Council)

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RAAC is a lightweight form of concrete. The Standing Committee on Structural Safety (SCOSS) has noted that: “Although called “concrete”, (RAAC) is very different from traditional concrete and, because of the way in which it was made, much weaker.

“RAAC was used in schools, colleges and other building construction from the 1950s until the mid-1990s. It may therefore be found in any school and college building (educational and ancillary) that was either built or modified in this time period.”

In August, schools across the country were notified they would have to make changes to the way they operate just weeks before they returned from the summer holidays, due to updated guidance surrounding the material.

Despite updated guidance from the Department for Education over the material, the Northern Care Alliance has not updated its plans at Royal Oldham Hospital or Salford Royal’s Turnberg Building, both of which have roofs that contain RAAC.

Oldham Council has been contacted for additional comment.

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