Moray Council confirms it is reviewing housing stock amid faulty concrete concerns

MORAY Council has confirmed that it is undertaking an initial desktop review of all of its housing stock amid concerns surrounding faulty concrete.

The news comes after Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) was found during summer inspections of Forres Academy leading to the closure of the school's top floor on September 11.

The concrete is susceptible to deterioration over time leading to structural issues which can compromise the safety of buildings that have been constructed using the material.

A spokesperson for Moray Council said: “Moray Council is currently undertaking an initial desktop review of our housing stock to establish any properties which may be at risk of containing RAAC panels.

"Once completed if any properties are identified as at risk an appropriate inspection programme will be developed to confirm the position in the properties and then establish any appropriate mitigation measures."

Freedom of Information requests sent by The Northern Scot have also revealed that several housing associations are set to carry out checks on their housing stock in Moray as a "safety precaution".

Hanover Scotland, Osprey Housing and Cairn Housing, which have a combined 982 properties in the region, all say that they are "confident" that none of their properties contain RAAC.

However, none of the associations have carried out checks to confirm this although Cairn is in the process of commissioning a new stock condition survey while Hanover will also carry out further checks.

In March, Moray Council said no buildings under its ownership contained RAAC in a response to a Freedom of Information request sent by the Moray Lib Dems.

But five months later the material was discovered in Forres Academy leading to Neil Alexander, Moray Lib Dem Leader, raising concerns after apparent inaccurate information had been given out on such an important matter.

After the revelation, Mr Alexander says he is glad that the council is now addressing the situation but has called for an emergency fund from the Scottish Government to fix any areas where RAAC is found.

Mr Alexander said: “We have no idea if there is a danger to life in the very homes the council provides to families.

"Scottish Liberal Democrats have been calling for inspections for dangerous concrete all year, we should know the full picture by now as we approach the colder, wetter months.

"The Scottish Government needs to take action now as more problems surface, we are calling for an emergency fund for all local councils to be able to fix any areas that RAAC is found."

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