RAAC confirmed at Blackpool Victoria Hospital: this is what is being done to remedy it

Last week, Blackpool Victoria Hospital on Whinney Heys Road submitted a planning application to Blackpool Council to install replacement roofing and erect a roof deck with three air condenser units enclosed by 2.6m high louvre panels.

In the planning documents, it transpires that the proposed new roofing was needed to replace RAAC panels in one of the hospital’s buildings, located on the southernmost part of the site.

The application form reads: “The existing roof is comprised of concrete tiles on RAAC panels which is now considered an unsafe building material and needs to be replaced.”

Although the Mirror had reported back in September that two blocks at Blackpool Victoria were made of RAAC, presence of the material has never been confirmed by the hospital.

When approached for a comment, Janet Barnsley, Executive Director of Integrated Care at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The Trust identified two areas of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) at Blackpool Victoria Hospital – one in a laundry building and the other in the roof above a storage area.

“Work to demolish the laundry facility is now complete, and work is underway to replace the affected roof.

"While the work takes place, we continue to have a full inspection process in place to ensure there is no deterioration in the structure, carried out regularly by a qualified surveyor to ensure our colleagues, patients and visitors are safe.”

Blackpool Victoria has since been asked to specify which building the storage area is in and when the demolition of the laundry building was complete, but no reply has been received.

According to the hospital's map, the affected building is currently home to Stroke and Orthopedic wards.

The proposed roof placement in the storage area will be made out of insulated standing seam composite roof panels. 

As well as the new roofing, the planning application also involves the “[a]ddition of a new roof deck and air handling plant equipment in preparation for a future refurbishment of the second floor to provide two new operating theatres and new ground floor level external chiller compound.”

The proposed new ground floor level external chiller compound will take the place of a small existing car park which contains two disabled parking spaces and an ambulance drop-off area.

You can read the full planning application here.