Luton Borough Council

08/09/2023 - Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete

The safety of pupils and staff is our number one priority.

Following reports of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in schools throughout the UK, Luton Council carried out surveys of all council-maintained school sites in Luton to check for the presence of this construction material. All except two schools surveyed had no presence of RAAC. We are also contacting academies in Luton to establish whether their surveys have discovered evidence of RAAC in their buildings.

Both affected schools have contacted parents and carers to inform them of the findings and that the schools will open as normal.

RAAC ceiling material has been identified at buildings at the Cutenhoe Community Learning Park. The areas affected include both of the main school halls in Surrey Street Primary School and the Avenue Centre, along with two large storage/workshop areas in the Luton Culture Trust Museum collection centre. None of the other areas including classrooms, corridors or offices had any RAAC material.

While there is no evidence to suggest that the buildings in question are unsafe, we have advised the site occupiers to temporarily place the affected areas out of bounds while further investigation is carried out. At this point we will be able to determine whether any safety mitigation measures need to be put in place. This work will completed over the next two weeks.