Council advised of significant RAAC costs in low-rise block in Leith
There are questions over the reason for delays in the council acting on reports of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in a Leith low-rise block.
The City of Edinburgh Council carried out a survey of RAAC in buildings where it owns homes in 2024 – but officers say a report of the compound in the roof of a block with council flats was missed.
According to a report set to be considered by Edinburgh councillors next Tuesday, the city failed to follow up with a homeowner who raised the issue – meaning the block's roof was never investigated.
The report details how a homeowner made the report last year, and followed up in May 2025 after the city offered to buy 17 flats in buildings with council tenants to make costly repairs.
The council is now reinvestigating the presence of RAAC across the entirety of the council's housing stock, including all flat blocks with flat roofs.
RAAC is believed to be present in at least two blocks in Leith, and council officers think it could be present in six other blocks.
According to the report, the council may face a 'significant financial impact' alongside owners of flats in RAAC-affected buildings, and that costs of fixing it are unbudgeted.
Additionally, it says that the council will be unable to cost any repairs until the two investigation efforts are completed.
Officers will investigate blocks built by the same architect as the two affected blocks in Leith to check if they have the compound.
In addition to those checks, officers will also look at data for all low-rise council blocks in the city in order to exclude buildings from checks where the presence of RAAC is impossible.
This includes buildings constructed before RAAC was used in the UK construction industry.
Officers say the timeline for this analysis will be subject to 'the scope and investigation and extent of the findings.'
Green councillor Alys Mumford said she is concerned about the lack of follow-up, and said Green councillors will be asking questions of officers at the meeting.
Cllr Mumford said: 'We're pleased that Council officers are taking this seriously, and would like to thank the homeowner for continuing to raise the issue so that we can make sure all council tenants are protected from any potential RAAC issues.
'This is not the first time we have heard of residents' significant concerns not being acted upon, and so of course at the Committee meeting we will be asking questions about the delay in responding when this was first raised, and if any changes need to be implemented in Council processes to ensure that this doesn't happen again.
'While we're hopeful that the re-investigation won't turn up any further instances of RACC, we think it is absolutely right to be doing a second, thorough, process to protect our residents.'
The report also said repair costs in each of the two affected flat blocks in Leith will be subject to discussions between homeowners in each of them.
RAAC was a building material often used in the construction of publicly-owned buildings in the UK up to the 1990s. It was popular for its low cost, low weight and fire resistance, but it can fail if it comes into contact with water for extended periods of time.
Several council primary and secondary schools are affected by RAAC, as well as the Blackhall Library, which closed temporarily until fixes could be implemented last year.
After last year's survey, council officers found that 72 current and former council flats in the city used a certain type of RAAC roof panels, with the council still owning 44.
Of the five affected buildings discovered, three were terraced rows of six houses, and two were low-rise apartment blocks.
During the works, both council and private residents of the buildings will need to be temporarily moved out.
Councillors will consider the report at the next meeting of the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee on Tuesday, August 12, which you can view here.
by Joe Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter
Edinburgh City Chambers. © 2025 Martin McAdam
Like this:
Like
Related
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
10 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Cat-sized rat found in UK home is part of larger issue
"It's almost the size of a small cat. And it's not a one-off," the pair wrote in a Facebook post. "Rats are being spotted more and more around our area." Rats have been seen in alleyways, around bins, on overgrown land, inside homes, and sometimes, even crossing the street, the representatives wrote online. In another post, the pair called the animal the "Normanby rat." USA TODAY has reached out to Taylor and Martin more information. Push for government to fund pest control, clean up community Taylor and Martin said the council for their area, Redcar & Cleveland Council, no longer handles domestic rat infestations. They offer advice, the pair said, but residents have to pay privately to handle pest control issues such as rats. "As your local councillors, we're calling on the Council administration to take this seriously, the people on the ground who do work extremely hard but we need this all round the borough," they wrote. The two also pushed for a full vermin survey and treatment plan across the borough, funding to handle the infestations, and collaborations among businesses, landlords, and affordable housing providers. "We make no apologies for acting on behalf of residents," they wrote. "As your Eston and Normanby councillors, we raised the alarm because people were genuinely concerned." 'Time to get rid of the RATS' According to the councillors, there was a meeting with the council's vermin control officer, who said social housing providers and the water board will get together to create an action plan. Social housing providers have also said they'd reintroduce pest control across the homes and land under their jurisdiction. The councillors said while it's not the local government's fault that the rats are there, the government has failed to cut grass, address litter problems, and has failed to properly fund street maintenance. "Finally, a genuine thank you to the hardworking, overstretched staff on the ground, who continue to do their best under difficult circumstances," Martin and Taylor wrote. "Time to get rid of the RATS." Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia - the 757. Email her at sdmartin@
Edinburgh Reporter
a day ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Council gives retrospective consent for The Famous Spiegeltent
The planning application for the Famous Spiegeltent already constructed in St Andrew Square was heard by the council's planning department on Wednesday morning and approval was retrospectively given. Council officers had recommended it would be granted but the matter was discussed by councillors clearly concerned about tree protection measures and also the lateness of the application which ran 'roughshod' over council process. Consent has been given subject to the condition imposed that 'a tree monitoring report shall be submitted twice a week during the operation of the event to the planning authority, confirming all tree protection measures are installed and maintained on site and that no generator shall be positioned within the root protection areas' by a narrow vote of 6 to 4. The site has been operating since the end of June hosting events in the Jazz and Blues Festival and now during the Fringe despite the lack of consent. It will be open until 12 September 2025 to allow for take down. The committee considered the impact on the local heritage and also a great deal of the discussion focused on the trees. Cllr Mumford looked at the tree protection plan and asked about the oversight by council officers during the build. The planning officer said it was up to Essential Edinburgh as 'owner of the site' to liaise with the company behind the Spiegeltent. Some confusion arose around who owns the square, cleared up by Cllr Mowat who explained that the garden is owned by the 'frontagers' or owners of buildings in the square and then sub -leased by the council to Essential Edinburgh to manage on its behalf. Cllr Joanna Mowat who represents the City Centre said this is not the first time that an applicant has made a late application, but 'things have improved since the days when that used to happen more often'. She asked for some work in the future to ensure that officers are not determining applications as the build is taking place. She said: 'Given the information we have in front of us today I have got to the point where I can support officers' approval of this but can we take this away and ask what conversations do we need to have with ourselves and the festival industries about what happens if things come in very late again.' Cllr Kumar was also concerned about the lateness of the application. She said: 'I'm a bit perplexed by this application, so it was submitted on the 11th of June for construction at the end of June, and construction has now completed without approval. I appreciate the retrospective elements of this, but there is a deficient application, deficient monitoring. It's really concerning that there is almost no regard for due process.' Cllr Tim Pogson agreed with Cllr Mowat that he had sufficient information to approve the consent, but said: 'I think we need to make sure that festival producers take what their responsibilities are in this regard and make sure that they comply with all the regulatory requirements within the law. And I know that's more than just planning, so just I want somehow for this committee, or this council, to send a very strong message to all festival producers through the fringe office, or whoever it is, to say, Look these the deadlines we needed to comply with. Just you know, sort yourselves out and do that.' In the report before the committee it was stated that: 'There are a number of trees within the application site which are within close proximity to the proposed structures. Limited information was submitted at the time of submission, but a Tree Report and Tree Protection information has since been submitted.' The senior planning officer mentioned that the temporary nature of this development and the economic benefit to the city overrode any impact on the listed buildings surrounding the square, or the World Heritage Site more widely, especially as the buildings are of a 'modest scale'. The planning officer showed councillors some photos to illustrate the number of trees and also a diagram showing the proposed root protection areas for each – which they said were adequate although the council's tree officer does still have some concerns – again overridden by the temporary nature of the Fringe event space and the economic benefit to the city. The planning officer admitted that 'Quite a few objections have been raised' and the works were effectively unauthorised. Festival producers UniqueAssembly have denied that this application has anything to do with them. The council officer explained that matters had changed for the better in relation to the trees since the first application: 'The initial proposal showed the bar and dressing room constructed very close and really tight into the root protection areas and very close to the trees. We got these moved outwith such a sensitive area. It is still not great but the proposals were submitted so late in the process that I think we have got to a level where it is acceptable.' Cllr Mowat asked if any monitoring of the trees had been going on while this development has been on site and she asked if the council is aware of what is happening at the moment. The council officer said that she was not aware of any monitoring reports submitted since 30 June. This will have to change now due to the condition on twice weekly monitoring reports applied to the consent. Cllr Ben Parker asked for the consent to be refused completely but this amendment was defeated and the consent approved by 6 votes to 4. Like this: Like Related
Edinburgh Reporter
a day ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Council advised of significant RAAC costs in low-rise block in Leith
The council has been warned that it faces potentially serious costs for new repairs to a low-rise block in Leith. There are questions over the reason for delays in the council acting on reports of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in a Leith low-rise block. The City of Edinburgh Council carried out a survey of RAAC in buildings where it owns homes in 2024 – but officers say a report of the compound in the roof of a block with council flats was missed. According to a report set to be considered by Edinburgh councillors next Tuesday, the city failed to follow up with a homeowner who raised the issue – meaning the block's roof was never investigated. The report details how a homeowner made the report last year, and followed up in May 2025 after the city offered to buy 17 flats in buildings with council tenants to make costly repairs. The council is now reinvestigating the presence of RAAC across the entirety of the council's housing stock, including all flat blocks with flat roofs. RAAC is believed to be present in at least two blocks in Leith, and council officers think it could be present in six other blocks. According to the report, the council may face a 'significant financial impact' alongside owners of flats in RAAC-affected buildings, and that costs of fixing it are unbudgeted. Additionally, it says that the council will be unable to cost any repairs until the two investigation efforts are completed. Officers will investigate blocks built by the same architect as the two affected blocks in Leith to check if they have the compound. In addition to those checks, officers will also look at data for all low-rise council blocks in the city in order to exclude buildings from checks where the presence of RAAC is impossible. This includes buildings constructed before RAAC was used in the UK construction industry. Officers say the timeline for this analysis will be subject to 'the scope and investigation and extent of the findings.' Green councillor Alys Mumford said she is concerned about the lack of follow-up, and said Green councillors will be asking questions of officers at the meeting. Cllr Mumford said: 'We're pleased that Council officers are taking this seriously, and would like to thank the homeowner for continuing to raise the issue so that we can make sure all council tenants are protected from any potential RAAC issues. 'This is not the first time we have heard of residents' significant concerns not being acted upon, and so of course at the Committee meeting we will be asking questions about the delay in responding when this was first raised, and if any changes need to be implemented in Council processes to ensure that this doesn't happen again. 'While we're hopeful that the re-investigation won't turn up any further instances of RACC, we think it is absolutely right to be doing a second, thorough, process to protect our residents.' The report also said repair costs in each of the two affected flat blocks in Leith will be subject to discussions between homeowners in each of them. RAAC was a building material often used in the construction of publicly-owned buildings in the UK up to the 1990s. It was popular for its low cost, low weight and fire resistance, but it can fail if it comes into contact with water for extended periods of time. Several council primary and secondary schools are affected by RAAC, as well as the Blackhall Library, which closed temporarily until fixes could be implemented last year. After last year's survey, council officers found that 72 current and former council flats in the city used a certain type of RAAC roof panels, with the council still owning 44. Of the five affected buildings discovered, three were terraced rows of six houses, and two were low-rise apartment blocks. During the works, both council and private residents of the buildings will need to be temporarily moved out. Councillors will consider the report at the next meeting of the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee on Tuesday, August 12, which you can view here. by Joe Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter Edinburgh City Chambers. © 2025 Martin McAdam Like this: Like Related
