Rochdale Council carrying out checks to see if any of their buildings have dangerous crumbling concrete

Greater Manchester councils – including Rochdale – are carrying out checks to see if any of their buildings have dangerous crumbling concrete.

With a number of schools across the wider Greater Manchester area dealing with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete – RAAC – issues, the ten local authorities are now conducting surveys to find out if other buildings in their estate may be affected.

The government has classed the concrete as an immediate safety risk, leaving 147 schools and colleges across the country facing issues – although none of these are in the Rochdale borough. RAAC concrete has the potential to suddenly collapse, experts say.

The crisis has led to concerns about RAAC in other public buildings such as hospitals, offices, homes and council properties. The government says this specific type of concrete has the potential to suddenly collapse.
 

Read more: Dangerous crumbling concrete confirmed in Greater Manchester schools and hospitalsPublished: 05 September 2023

The building material is a lightweight, cheaper form of regular concrete. RAAC was used primarily in roof planks of some public buildings built between the mid-1960s and mid-1990s.

It comes as social housing bosses were told to check their stock for RAAC.

The Regulator for Social Housing (RSH) has written to providers across the country, urging them to check their properties are safe in the wake of the RAAC saga.

A spokesperson from Rochdale Borough Council said: “We are surveying all our buildings and are not aware of any at the moment that are impacted by Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).”

Siobhan McCoy, RBH Director of Property Services, said: “We have undertaken an initial review of our data and records, and we have not identified any RBH homes or buildings which contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), or any problems which may suggest they have been caused by RAAC.

“We are carrying out further investigations to provide reassurance to our tenants and employees, and we will act promptly should any issues be identified.

“If any tenants have any concerns or would like to speak to our team, they can get in touch with us on Freephone 0800 027 7769 or by email to customer@rbh.org.uk.”

George Lythgoe, Local Democracy Reporter

Additional reporting: Rochdale Online News