Aberdeenshire Council schools have been given the all-clear after checks were made following the closure of a number of Edinburgh school which resulted in them being closed for safety reasons. However a number of minor works are to be carried as a result of checks.
The information was relayed to Portlethen Community Council last night.
Our officers wrote to the contractor responsible for the nine schools procured under public-private partnership (PPP) contracts for Aberdeenshire Council, and sought assurance that none of the issues discovered in Edinburgh affect our schools and that the contractor has no concerns over the structural integrity of the buildings. The Aberdeenshire schools were built by Robertson Construction.
The contractor commissioned visual inspections of the masonry walling at the schools to assess whether any such areas were considered to be unsafe; the reports of which have not identified any issues which would affect the structural integrity or safety of the walls.
In addition, Aberdeenshire Council commissioned Fairhurst, the framework structural engineers, to undertake independent visual inspections.
Similar assurances have been sought from the contractors responsible for the construction of our recently completed Mearns, Ellon, and Alford community campuses.
Investigations to date have not identified any issues similar to those discovered in Edinburgh
In a briefing to councillors, officers said that in summary the independent reports in respect of the 11 schools have highlighted a number of non-urgent issues which warrant further investigation as a matter of good maintenance practice, and one minor repair. They are liaising with engineers to programme follow up intrusive investigations, where recommended, during the summer holidays.
Finally, in light of the Edinburgh incident, they are reviewing the procedure for monitoring and assessing the structural integrity of properties within the wider estate.