Aberdeen residents whose houses are slated for demolition because of potentially hazardous RAAC concrete are likely to receive better offers for their properties.
Over 500 residences in the Balnagask district of the city contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
Earlier this month, the Scottish government reached a funding agreement of £10 million with Aberdeen City Council (ACC) to assist residents.
ACC has now announced that it is preparing to present homeowners with “essentially a pre-RAAC” valuation.
Thanks to the promise of £10 million from the Scottish Government, as well as the voluntary purchase market value offers and legal fees, an additional payment to cover the cost of each roof will also be paid.
In essence, this will be the equivalent to what each home was worth before RAAC was discovered, and this is the amount that will be offered.
These proposals are set to be discussed at a ACC meeting today, where the Aberdeen SNP and Liberal Democrat partnership have tabled a motion to reveal the full detail of this offer.
Speaking to The Press and Journal, Miranda Radley, convener of Communities, Housing and Public Protection, explained:
“We promised that we would leave no stone unturned — and the Scottish Government has delivered us the opportunity to make an improved offer to home owners in Balnagask.”
“I welcome the verbal agreement from the Cabinet Secretary to provide Aberdeen City Council with £10 million to help deal with the RAAC crisis — this allows us to make an additional payment above the market value to homeowners to help conclude this voluntary acquisition process.”
“Today’s announcement may provide a light at the end of the tunnel for everyone still impacted by RAAC.”
Scottish Conservative North East MSP Liam Kerr, who has campaigned on behalf of the Torry community, said: “Two years after Raac was first discovered in Aberdeen, this announcement finally gives residents some light at the end of the tunnel.
“If the SNP-Lib Dem administration does stick to its word, this is a victory for the people of Torry who have had to endure this living nightmare for far too long.
“I have been calling for the pre-Raac valuation on these properties to be given for months, but the council’s dither and delay, which itself followed the Scottish Government’s arm’s length and reactive approach, has resulted in people becoming seriously ill from the stress of not knowing what the future holds.
“The council must now honour this promise and give timescales on when these funds will finally be released so this horrific situation can be fixed once and for all.”
ACC intends to demolish the majority of around 500 homes.
However, many residents have expressed dissatisfaction with the local authority’s compensation offers, claiming it would leave them tens of thousands of pounds in the deficit.
