Edinburgh council to survey buildings after school structure failings

The closure of 17 Edinburgh schools earlier this year due to safety concerns has prompted The City of Edinburgh Council to order a survey of its council buildings.

The authority has set aside about £500,000 to make the extra checks after a wall collapsed at Oxgangs Primary School.

It said it would be looking at buildings that were built at about the same time as the faulty school buildings.

The schools had all been built or refurbished following a £360m deal between the city council and a private finance consortium under the Public Private Partnership 1 (PPP1) scheme.

The problems involved wall and header ties, used to hold exterior and interior walls together and attach them to the rest of the building.

A City of Edinburgh Council spokesman said: “Following the inspections and remedial works carried out on PPP1 buildings, a review of the full council estate is taking place.

“There no evidence to suggest that any of our buildings are at risk. However, we wish to be certain that similar issues do not exist so it is prudent to carry out wider inspections.

“A proportionate and structured approach will be adopted to inspecting the wider estate, specifically looking at the issues identified on the PPP1 buildings regarding wall ties and head restraints.

“A technical working group consisting of senior officers and structural engineers with direct experience of the inspections and remedial works on the PPP1 estate has been set up. Preparation work has already commenced.

“At this time it is not possible to estimate the cost but an initial £500,000 budget has been identified from last year’s budget under spend.”