RAAC crisis: Oxford housing blocks may have unsafe concrete

Oxford City Council is carrying out inspections as a “matter of urgency” to determine whether any of its buildings contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

The council told the Oxford Mail that some of its post-war public buildings may be affected.

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The extent of the RAAC crisis was first brought to light last week over safety fears at UK schools.

The spokesman for Oxford City Council explained that the local authority had already been made aware of the issue, but that they were now “bringing forward a series of planned inspections as a matter of urgency.”

The spokesman continued: “We will carry these out over the next three months.

“If we find RAAC we will undertake a condition survey and take appropriate action to manage any risks."

RAAC is a form of lightweight building material that was used in construction between the 1950s and 1990s.

It was mostly used in flat roofing but has also been found in the floors and walls of buildings.

RAAC was popular as a cheaper alternative to standard concrete, but it is considerably less durable, with a lifespan of around three decades.  

Both South Oxfordshire District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council have said that they have not identified any of their buildings as containing RAAC.

On September 6, Oxfordshire County Council confirmed that none of the schools it runs are affected by the concrete crisis.

 A county council spokesman said: “Only one Oxfordshire secondary school is a local authority-maintained school, and around half of primary schools in the county are now academies.

“These schools are therefore run independently of the council and managed by the Regional Schools Director or Department for Education.

“The county council has been kept informed by a small number of academies in the county who do have RAAC issues but who have each come up with arrangements to ensure that children continue to be educated.

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“Parents were fully informed of the individual situations at these schools by academy trusts earlier this week. The county council will help each school where it can.”

On Monday (September 11), John Mason School in Abingdon was forced to close after it identified RAAC concrete on site.

This was despite previously reassuring parents that it had not been affected by the crisis.

The school, which is managed by Abingdon Learning Trust, is to remain partially closed for the rest of the week.