Crumbling concrete repairs could cost £900,000

Safety measures to protect people from crumbling concrete at a town hall could cost £900,000, a report has revealed.

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was found on the second floor of the civic building in Peterborough in February 2024.

In a report due to be read at a meeting on 15 July, Peterborough City Council was told "urgent mitigation measures" were needed to make its Bridge Street base safe.

"If injury or fatality occurs because of a known structural risk, liability may fall to the council," the report stated.

Mitigation measures would ensure the safety of the occupants below, it was suggested.

All city council meetings have been held at the authority's offices in Sand Martin House since January.

Other parts of the building have remained in use, including the main chamber occupied by the coroner's court.

The report stated the building's floor was not strong enough to withstand any falling Raac panels.

"Should one or more panels fail without warning - which is the nature of Raac - the resulting impact load could exceed the second floor's load-bearing limits, causing the floor structure to fail," it read.

"This could lead to a cascading effect to the floors below."

The report also claimed businesses operating from the building could face significant financial losses if work did not take place.

About £760,000 per year would be lost in lease payments if this happened and the firms vacated the premises, the author suggested.

In the report, cabinet members have been recommended to support a contract being awarded for mitigation works.

The council said the likelihood of a Raac collapse was unlikely, but admitted the implications would be "severe" if it did happen.

It previously stressed the ongoing works were a "very complex issue".

Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.