Civic Centre and QE Hall RAAC in 'good condition', so it's business as usual

Oldham Council has confirmed that it's business as usual for the Civic Centre and Queen Elizabeth Hall public buildings after RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete) was discovered in the structures.

The collapse-prone material has previously been found in the roof of Royal Oldham Hospital, with more than 100 schools and colleges across the country also 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.

An update was posted on the Council's website today (Friday).

It read: "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 (pictured below).  

"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." 

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 RAAC 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.

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