Peterborough Town Hall roof and walls in ‘better condition than first feared’

Mitigation work, expected to cost £900,000, was authorised by cabinet members in July last year after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was found at the Town Hall.

Although the council claimed that RAAC collapse was unlikely, it admitted that implications could be severe if it were to happen, including a serious risk of fatality or serious injury.

Councillor Mohammed Jamil, cabinet member for finance and corporate governance, provided an update on the work which was classed as ‘urgent’ last summer.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We have completed phase one of the works to heavily reduce the risk of any RAAC damage and have carried out further intrusive investigations to better understand the condition of the RAAC and its risk profile.

“These investigations have found that much of the roof and wall structures are in a better condition than we first feared so we are planning to carry out targeted remediation works to those areas identified as needing attention.

“We now need to undertake design work for this targeted remediation works.”

No timescale was given as to when the works would be completed.

Since January 2025, all city council meetings have been held at the authority’s offices in Sand Martin House instead of the Town Hall due to the condition and fire safety of the historic building.

One of the NHS tenants at the Town Hall had also vacated its work space due to the concerns that were flagged.

The mitigation work was given the go ahead despite a council scrutiny committee recommending last year that cabinet members delayed their decision until a long-term plan was established for the building.

It was deemed that the work was too urgent and that the council may suffer financially if nothing was done.