Plymouth Community Homes is carrying out a detailed review of all its housing stock and properties to check for the presence of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).
Residents can be reassured that PCH has no properties which have known issues with aerated concrete, and no large buildings with load-bearing structures contain RAAC.
An initial review has found no concerns about RAAC being used in more than 92% of all PCH’s 16,301 residential properties.
A small number of properties will be checked further with site inspections carried out during the next month to provide thorough reassurance that aerated concrete is not an issue. These are properties which were either built during the time period considered the highest priority area for inspection, have flat roofing, or were acquired by PCH in recent years, so detailed information about their original construction methods is not available.
Most PCH properties are not of concrete construction, but some buildings may have concrete panels, or concrete used in non-load bearing sections.
Concerns about RAAC were raised nationally in recent weeks when aerated concrete was found to be present in some schools, colleges and public buildings, meaning parts of some affected structures may need to be replaced.
RAAC is a lightweight form of concrete commonly used in construction between the 1950s and mid-1990s, mostly in pre-cast panels for roofs, flat roofs, and occasionally used in floors and walls, generally in the construction of large buildings.
PCH has carried out a thorough data review of all its residential stock since concerns about RAAC came to light so managers could understand the level of risk present across all PCH stock, and plan for any works which may be needed.
Commercial properties owned by PCH are also being reviewed by the teams.
Full structural surveys are being carried out of all PCH’s high rise buildings separately, as part of a national building safety case project, so this has provided reassurance on their safety in relation to construction methods.
Jonathan Cowie, Chief Executive of Plymouth Community Homes, said: “We are not aware of a known issue with RAAC in any of our homes or buildings but we want to provide thorough reassurance to our residents and commercial tenants so we are undertaking a comprehensive review to ensure we understand where aerated concrete may be present, and are able to categorically confirm if it forms any part of the buildings.
“We have been able to discount the vast majority of our housing stock as not including this material as a structural element which we hope is reassuring to our residents.
“PCH reviews all of its properties regularly and aerated concrete has not been raised as a key concern to date.”
The full review is anticipated to be complete by mid-October.
If you have any concerns or questions, please contact Nathan Cousins on 01752 388199 or nathan.cousins@plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk.
