RAAC-blighted homeowners in Aberdeen have been granted access to a £10m funding pot, days after the Scottish Government was urged to free up a ‘vital’ cash infusion.
RAAC, or reinforced aerated autoclaved concrete, is an inexpensive building material used in public works between the 1950s and 1990s.
It has a shorter lifespan than standard forms of concrete, and has been compared to the interior structure of an Aero bar.
£20m pounds earmarked for affordable housing had previously been made available to Aberdeen City Council through a City Region Deal in 2016.
While the local authority's pleas for this funding proved unsuccessful, on Thursday, Housing Secretary Mairi McAllan announced that the government would open up another funding source.
Speaking late last week, Ms McAllan said: “In 2016 the Scottish Government committed to funding Aberdeen City Council through the housing infrastructure fund.
“The council’s request for £10 million to help meet the costs of RAAC remediation does not meet the criteria of the fund.
“But in light of the unique circumstances, I have instead invited the council to submit a proposal for additional grant support through the affordable housing supply programme for the equivalent amount.”
Five hundred properties in the Balnagask neighborhood in Aberdeen have been found to contain RAAC.
While the local authority relocated the occupants of 366 council homes in the spring of 2024, many of the 138 private home owners whose properties contain the material have remained, despite being offered buy outs.
Plans to demolish the properties were approved by Aberdeen City Council in March, and were reaffirmed last month.
It is expected to cost up to £150m to tear down and rebuild the housing scheme.
Now, it is hoped the £10m funding boost will allow the council to provide greater financial support to those who are at risk of losing their hopes.
Reacting to the news, North East Conservative MSP Liam Kerr, who has long pushed the Scottish Government to reach a settlement with homeowners affected by the RAAC crisis, cautioned the ‘devil would be in the detail’.
He noted: “Two years after the discovery of RAAC in Aberdeen, we have to hope that this will be a long-overdue victory for the people of Torry.
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“It has been a living nightmare for the community, but this announcement could – if it is what it seems – bring some comfort to homeowners who have been left in this dreadful situation through no fault of their own.
Kerr added: “They mustn’t be let down again, which is why I will be writing to Aberdeen City Council to ensure these lifeline funds are released as a matter of urgency.”
