Council chiefs have revealed the huge price difference between repairing and demolishing the hundreds of Torry homes being evacuated amid a Raac crisis.
Councillors met at the Town House today to hear an update on the ongoing situation – and options to deal with the hundreds of affected properties.
Bosses explained three long-term options were being considered to address the “crumbly” material in the Balnagask homes.
Members heard of plans put forward by engineers to potentially stabilise the houses – and the costs involved.
One would involve supporting Raac panels with a timber frame, while another costlier fix would mean replacing the roofing entirely.
Another possibility remains knocking them down and building replacements.
What options are up for consideration?
One solution would see a timber support frame added to affected properties, allowing residents to move back to their beloved homes.
The crumbly concrete would remain in the buildings and would not be removed, but the thinking is this would prevent any sort of collapse.
It could cost the council up to £22,000 to install a frame in each of the 332 properties, taking around three years to complete the job.
Another option up for debate would see the affected roofs removed and replaced.
However, this costly route could see the council shelling out up to £71,000 per home, and take roughly four years to finish.
But the council has yet to rule out demolition which would still be the cheapest way forward.
Balnagask could be cleared of Raac properties within a year at a cost of £10,000 maximum per house. The lower cost would be £5,000 per home.
Concerns raised over potential Torry Raac repair option
Councillor Alex Nicol raised some concerns about the support frame option as he believed it would “require a lot of ongoing monitoring”.
He queried whether the structure would provide enough protection should the Raac panels eventually fail.
Chief capital officer John Wilson explained that annual inspections would be required if that option was chosen.
Insulation would be placed between the Raac and wooden panels, with any problems detected by visible water damage.
How many Torry households have moved out?
Since an emergency Raac meeting was held in February, 113 leases have been signed and 58 tenants have been rehomed.
A further nine have moved out of Balnagask after making their own arrangements.
The local authority is aiming to have everyone impacted by the worrying material moved out by the end of December.
This comes despite early hopes that all 300 affected households could be shifted by the end of summer.
Support for Torry tenants expanded
Following feedback from tenants, the council has widened mental health and wellbeing support available to residents.
The British Red Cross has offered extra help, while a six-week support group has been set up by Mental Health Aberdeen.
Drop-in sessions hosted by the heath and social care partnership were held in the city last week.
Extra warden patrols are also in action, while waste teams are taking action by carrying out weekly visits in a bid to keep the area tidy.
An increase in fly-tipping had been noted in Torry as more residents move out and opted to leave bulkier pieces of furniture behind.
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