BBC Scotland Information
BBCStanding beside the steel fence now surrounding the block of flats he as soon as known as house, Jimmy Vallance seems up on the steel shutter bolted to his lounge window.
He shakes his head and sighs
“It is such a disgrace to see it like this,” he says.
Jimmy lived within the prime flooring flat in Tillicoultry for greater than 40 years with none issues.
That was till October 2023 when he and his spouse, Fiona, have been ordered to go away with simply two hours’ discover after inspectors found Raac concrete within the roof of the constructing.
“It was a shock” he says.
“Two or three weeks later you are sitting in non permanent lodging, 4 partitions. You’ve got received no furnishings of your personal. You are surrounded by packing containers. And it is like, ‘oh man, that is miserable’.”
Probably harmful Strengthened Autoclaved Aerated Concrete – an affordable, light-weight constructing materials extensively used between the Fifties and 1980’s – was found in three blocks of flats in Tillicoultry across the similar time
The 27 properties, 10 of that are privately owned, have been off limits ever since however the council says it it working with residents on an answer.
What’s Raac?
Raac stands for reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.
It’s a light-weight materials that was used principally in flat roofing, but in addition in flooring and partitions, between the Fifties and Nineties.
It’s a cheaper different to straightforward concrete, is faster to provide and simpler to put in.
It’s aerated, or “bubbly” – like an Aero chocolate bar.
However it’s much less sturdy and has a lifespan of about 30 years.
Its structural behaviour differs considerably from conventional bolstered concrete.
Furthermore, it’s inclined to structural failure when uncovered to moisture. The bubbles can permit water to enter the fabric.
Raac is usually coated with one other materials, similar to bitumen on roofing panels. However this materials can even degrade.
The Well being and Security Govt (HSE) stated Raac was now past its lifespan and will “collapse with little or no discover”.
Jimmy and his spouse spent 15 months residing in non permanent lodging in close by Alva which he says took a toll on their bodily and psychological well being.
In November final yr the 64-year-old was driving to a protest on the Scottish Parliament – to demand extra assist for Raac affected householders – when he immediately felt unwell.
On the roadside he suffered the primary of three seizures that led to him being positioned in an induced coma for twenty-four hours.
“Hypertension and the stress of being within the state of affairs we’re in. I believe that mixture constructed up, and constructed up and it simply immediately hit me.
“Whether or not my seizure was introduced on by the stress they cannot actually say however it’s received to have had some form of affect.”
For Jimmy, and the opposite householders, a serious supply of stress is continuous uncertainty about what’s going to occur to the buildings.
Having spent greater than 18 months stewing over potential choices together with demolition, the dialog has now shifted in the direction of repairing the flats.
“If it is repaired then we have to have enough money the restore,” Jimmy says.
“Do I get loans? Can we get a mortgage from the council? I haven’t got a mortgage however will we go to a financial institution? On the finish of the day I am within the state of affairs the place I have not received the funds for that.”
Clackmannanshire Council stated it’s dedicated to working with non-public householders on the difficulty of Raac.
However, annoyed at what they see as an absence of help, residents have arrange a marketing campaign group.
They hope a gathering with council officers and contractors on Monday afternoon will supply some readability.
The group has additionally written to Scotland’s housing minister to ask for a gathering
Paul McLennan just lately travelled to Aberdeen to take heed to the issues of residents residing in Raac affected properties.
He might be concerned in related assembly in Dundee this afternoon.
McLennan stated: “I recognise it is a very tough time for these affected.
“Raac is a cross-UK drawback, and we’ve been clear from the start that it requires a cross-UK resolution.
“Now we have repeatedly known as on the UK authorities to make out there a devoted Raac remediation fund, which they’ve sadly did not do”
Having returned to Tillicoultry the place he is renting a bungalow, Jimmy says life is “100 instances higher” than it was at their lowest level.
What he and Fiona need now’s for this lengthy working saga to be resolved.
“We’d like it completed and we have to stroll away simply to make it simpler for us.”
“On the finish of the day I am not getting any youthful so I might do with out all this problem.”
