Raac Scotland: High school, library and theatre all close after dangerous concrete discovered

The latest closures come as it emerged 14 fire stations and three police stations also contain the material

A school in Moray has closed as a result of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).

Forres Academy has shut and pupils will move to remote learning today and tomorrow while staff put contingency plans in place, Moray Council said.

​Meanwhile a prominent Scottish theatre has been shut after the collapse-prone concrete was found in the building’s roof.

Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre has shut after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was found in its roof. Picture: John Devlin

Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre was closed earlier this week after Raac planks were discovered in the majority of the roof structure. And Edinburgh City Council confirmed that the capital’s Blackhall Library would close while Raac was assessed.

A spokesperson for Moray Council said: “Due to receiving new information on the Raac at Forres Academy from our structural engineer contractor, the status of the level of risk has been updated.

“A full update will be provided on Friday to inform parents and pupils of those plans.”

Almost 40 schools in Scotland have been found to contain the potentially dangerous concrete.

A performance by the Shine Youth Music Theatre had to be immediately cancelled at the Motherwell theatre.

North Lanarkshire Council was unable to give a definitive timeframe for the closure, but said: “An initial inspection of the Motherwell Theatre and Concert Hall also found some evidence of water ingress to the roof. These findings mean that a full intrusive survey must be carried out.”

RAAC has also been found in 14 fire stations and three police stations, including Police Scotland’s Fettes building in Edinburgh, MSPs were told.

Fettes has been found to have RAAC in ten areas in its roof, extending to more than 4,000sqm (43,000sqft).

With the estimated cost of repair said to be just over £4 million, Police Scotland’s chief financial officer James Gray told a Holyrood committee it was “not economically viable” to carry out the work. He said Police Scotland was now looking to start a consultation on exiting" Fettes, which was the headquarters of the former Lothian and Borders force.

He told how the force checked for the concrete across its entire estate in April "when we identified some crumbling RAAC in the Fettes workshop as part of a routine repair".