Five schools require repairs to structural wall defects

Investigation: Proactive safety survey recommends ‘minor’ remedial work

Structural defects, similar to those found in Edinburgh schools which resulted in 17 closures last year, have been discovered in five north-east schools.

Safety concerns were raised in the capital last April after the collapse of a large wall at the city’s Oxgangs Primary in January 2016.

As a result of the defects, nine tonnes of masonry fell down during a storm.

An investigation into the incident found that wall cavities were not uniform, there had not been enough wall ties used, and the wrong type had been employed.

A major Scotland-wide investigation by local authorities was then launched to determine if the problem affected school buildings across the country.

And in April, it emerged the defects were present in 72 more schools, in addition to the 17 in Edinburgh.

Many of the buildings were constructed in the 1990s to mid-2000s through public private partnership (PPP) or private finance initiative (PFI) schemes.

A new report which will be considered by Aberdeenshire councillors next week has now revealed there are similar defects at Portlethen and Meldrum academies, along with Hill of Banchory, Kintore and Longside primaries.

However, the contractor responsible, Robertson Group, has said there are no immediate safety concerns for the north-east schools affected.

A spokeswoman for the company said: “Following concerns elsewhere, we proactively carried out surveys on all our school buildings.

“During these surveys, some minor remedial works were recommended, however there is no emergency or legal requirement for these works.

“There is currently no immediate risk to structural safety or building integrity.

“The affected schools were notified and remedial works have either already occurred or are scheduled to take place.

“This will be at no cost, or cause any inconvenience, to the local authorities concerned.

“We have a responsibility to maintain these schools – across the lifetime of the contract – ensuring their continued safety for all school users.”

Remaining works are expected to continue throughout the summer holidays.

Ritchie Johnson, the director of business services at Aberdeenshire Council, prepared the authority’s report into the wall defects.

He said: “It is evident from the findings that there seems to be a systematic failure in the design and construction of some schools in the PFI/PPP era. It was not episodic and it is difficult to comprehend why it happened in a range of other schools.”

SAFETY FIRST: Longside Primary and four other schools have been identified as requiring repair work to prevent walls from collapsing