Town hall Raac repairs to begin soon, council says

The work at the Town Hall should be finished by the end of 2025

Work to repair reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) at a city's town hall will start soon and could be completed by the end of the year.

Peterborough City Council estimates the work on the upper floor will cost about £900,000 and ensure the safety of the occupants using the space below.

At a meeting last month, the authority said the works at the building on Bridge Street would begin within six to eight weeks and be completed by the end of December.

More accurate timescales are expected to be announced after final reports have been received from structural engineers.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council said that Raac collapse was unlikely, but it admitted that implications could be "severe" if it did happen, including a serious risk of fatality or serious injury.

Rachael Hunns, the council's head of compliance and capital programs, told a meeting of the authority's cabinet it would aim to "limit public disruption" while the works took place, noting that a scaffolding would be in place next to the building's entrance on St Peter's Road.

She confirmed the building would not be evacuated during the works as the area needing repairs was already isolated.

Since January, all city council meetings have been held at the authority's offices in Sand Martin House instead because of the conditions at the town hall and concerns about fire safety.