RAAC identified in Welsh social housing

The Welsh Government has announced that RAAC has been identified in a small number of Trivallis-run social housing properties in the Hirwaun area.

In summer summer 2023, the UK Department for Education reported incidents of RAAC had emerged at schools over the summer period which gave rise to concern over a potential higher safety risk.

In September 2023 the Welsh minister for finance and local government and the minister for education and welsh language set out the actions being taken to assess the wider public estate, including social housing.

All social landlords were asked to assess their social housing stock for the presence of RAAC. This has included establishing when RAAC surveys or inspections were last undertaken. Where the existing information did not provide sufficient assurance, detailed surveys of properties built within the relevant RAAC timeframe have been commissioned.

As a result of this investigation, a small number of Trivallis-run properties in the Hirwaun area have been identified where RAAC is present. Specialist surveys of two of these properties has identified remedial action needs to be carried out within six months and the potential for such work to be needed in a further 38 Trivallis properties with the same design. A further 20 Trivallis owned properties and 17 owner-occupied homes have also been identified as having RAAC, of which four are of the same design and construction.

Julie James, minister for climate change said: "Trivallis, registered social landlord, has responded swiftly to alert residents to the situation and offer support and alternative accommodation to its tenants. My officials are in regular contact with Trivallis.

"My thoughts are with all households in Hirwaun, which have been affected by RAAC. I want to thank social landlords for their ongoing work to identify properties built using RAAC."