RAAC: Staff attend talks over future of St David's Hall following temporary closure

A meeting is expected to take place on Friday at 10.00am for St David's Hall staff.

Workers at St David's Hall in Cardiff are hoping to find out later if and when they will be able to return to work.

Staff are concerned about their jobs following the discovery of RAAC at one of Wales' largest entertainment venues, and delays in its reopening.

It was closed on 7 September because of inspections into unsafe Reinforced Autoclaved Concrete.

Cardiff Council previously told ITV News Wales that it has been aware of Raac in St David's Hall since 2021, and the need to manage it.

It added that regular inspections have been held by independent structural engineers in the past 18 months, to ensure the building is safe.

A spokesperson for the council told ITV News Wales: "Throughout this time no issues were raised about the condition of Raac in the building and there was no evidence of deterioration.

"This still remains the case".

A meeting is expected to take place on Friday at 10.00am for St David's Hall staff.

Several Welsh schools have recently been told to close over concerns about dangerous concrete in their buildings.

  • What is Raac?

Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (Raac) is a lightweight form of concrete. 

The way that Raac is created makes it weaker than the normal building material.

There is no coarse aggregate - for example gravel and crushed stones - in Raac, this is what gives concrete its strength.

Instead fine aggregate - such as sand and stone particles - is combined with chemicals to create gas bubbles, and heat to cure the compound.

This makes it relatively weak.


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