Somerset school to demolish trio of RAAC buildings

A special needs school in Somerset is set to demolish three buildings containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), according to planning documents.

Selworthy Special School asked Somerset Council whether it objected to the demolition of three extensions previously used for storage. The structures are built with RAAC roof panels spanning load-bearing RAAC wall panels, finished with external render. 

The school’s two rear extensions are 7.5 square metres each, while the larger norther extension is 70 square metres. The buildings have not been used since 2023 due to the presence of RAAC, a lightweight form of concrete that is prone to collapse. 

AtkinsRealis, which submitted a planning document on behalf of Selworthy Special School, said the buildings have been given supportive propping but cannot be made permanently safe. 

The school said it plans to deconstruct the RAAC roof panels by hand in small segments before removing the wall panels using small plant. Openings in external walls created by the work will then be infilled with masonry panels, with a sand and cement render coated to the outside. 

According to the prior approval application, the school will carry out the work over the summer holidays, between 23 July and 29 August. Construction News contacted Selworthy School to ask for the name of the appointed contractor. 

On 4 July Somerset Council confirmed it had no objection to the demolition plans. 

RAAC was widely used in public sector buildings built between the 1950s and mid-1990s, but in recent years has been identified as at risk of collapsing, particularly when it becomes wet. 

The material hit the national headlines in August 2023, when the Department for Education told more than a 100 schools to evacuate their buildings days before the start of the new academic year. 

In January, the department appointed PwC to investigate and analyse the threat it posed to structural integrity across schools in England and Wales. The consultancy is expected to report its findings in early 2026.