RAAK: Investigation of housing issues - porous concrete found in ownership.

openDemocracy has discovered that at least one residential complex built using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) is still in use, while the government states that it will not fund improvement works for residential buildings, despite growing concerns about the material. There are no suspicions that residents are in immediate danger, but this news will increase pressure on ministers to take action to avoid what one activist called a potential "scandal related to cladding materials."

openDemocracy decided not to name the complex in Essex until the local council contacts the residents and building owners.

Update:

“We were not told anything,” say families living in a housing complex in Essex built using RAAC.

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Concerns about the material that was primarily used for the construction of public buildings from the 1960s to the 1980s have led to the closure of over 100 schools after a ceiling collapsed in one of the elementary schools in 2018, and this summer, ceiling beams also collapsed. Fortunately, no children were harmed.

Despite the known risks of RAAC deterioration in buildings older than 30 years, the Department for Leveling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) believes that building owners are responsible for ensuring the safety of their buildings - unlike the government's policy regarding dangerous cladding materials, which allocated £5.1 billion to assist in their removal from buildings of a certain height.

Earlier, parliamentarians raised questions about residential buildings constructed using RAAC, also known as Siporex. The late David Amess often spoke on issues concerning his constituents in a housing complex in Basildon during the 1980s and 1990s. Speaking in Parliament about the notorious Laindon 1, 2, and 3 "Siporex estate" in Basildon, Essex, he said: "There were problems with the ceilings, windows, and overall dampness," and that the material "cracks when walked on, and now most of the buildings need the entire ground floor replaced." The buildings were ultimately demolished in 1994.

Siporex was a trademark for RAAC and was first produced in the UK by Costain Concrete Co Ltd, which opened its plant in Lanarkshire, Scotland, in the early 1960s. openDemocracy has now identified another small residential complex built using RAAC that is still occupied. Originally, this was housing under a public housing program, but part of it seems to have been sold to the private sector. Given the widespread use of this material in the mid-20th century, it is likely to be the first of several residential complexes where this porous concrete, which is prone to weakening and collapse, will be discovered.

In December 2018, following an incident at a primary school in Gravesend, a letter was sent to all local councils from the Department for Education and the Local Government Association, requesting local authorities—owners and managers of social housing, as well as schools—to check all properties in their portfolio built using RAAC. In the letter seen by openDemocracy, both organizations urged local councils to "identify all properties built using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) and appropriately assess the potential risk" and to "consider and monitor the possible impact of reduced maintenance regimes on the condition of your property portfolio, especially where RAAC is used."

The question of who will pay for the work to rectify deficiencies could become problematic, said Greg Carter, legal director specializing in construction and insurance disputes at Winckworth Sherwood. "A major issue is that owners have only 30 years to file claims under the Defective Premises Act, so buildings constructed before 1990 will not benefit from this," he said. "In my opinion, building owners need to check their insurance policies for RAAC coverage, because next year you may find that the policy has changed and insurers have removed RAAC coverage. The competition has begun."

The scale of the RAAC crisis in the UK is exacerbated by the lack of information held by government bodies about its prevalence in the public and private sectors. The DLUHC was unable to say whether it holds information on how many social housing blocks, still occupied, were built using RAAC, and there is no publicly available registry.

Suzanna Moona, secretary of the Social Housing Action Campaign (SHAC), warned that this could become a "scandal reminiscent of cladding materials" and reported that members of the organization have expressed concerns about whether they could be affected by deteriorating building materials. "While it may be true that RAAC is not present in many buildings, where it is present, it can pose a very serious risk," Moona told openDemocracy. "Moisture, for example, leads to further deterioration of already weak concrete, and too many social homes still have issues with dampness and mold. If a ceiling or wall collapses, it could be fatal."

"The fact that the sector was unable to effectively manage the scandal regarding cladding materials has left many tenants and residents without trust or confidence in the reliability of their landlord. "We urge the sector to break its previous reputation and take the lead on this issue. "They must check the structure of all their properties, promptly inform tenants and residents whether RAAC is present or not, and - if it has been used - immediately develop a safety plan as soon as possible."

The social housing regulator today sent a letter to suppliers in England, urging them to check for the presence of RAAC in their buildings. It stated that it does not consider RAAC to be "widespread" in social housing, but "it may be present in a small number of buildings from that period."

Housing activist Kwajo Tweneboa told openDemocracy: "Although we are told that RAAC is not a widespread issue in the housing stock, I believe it is still too early to say that. A lot of social housing built between the 1960s and 1980s is still standing. If the homes where people sleep at night are at risk of collapse due to the use of RAAC in the past, the public needs to know about it. One would think that the issue of 'building safety' should have become a top priority, especially after Grenfell."

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