Surrey Police has announced plans to move out of Reigate Police Station following the discovery of Autoclaved Aerated Reinforced Concrete (RAAC), a problem it said had only just come to attention.
A statement from the force said: “When national news about the use of RAAC in school construction hit the headlines last month. [September]Surrey Police began proactively assessing buildings for the presence of RAAC.”
He added that structural engineers found most of the station posed no immediate risk to users, but a section of the rear wing exterior area on the south side of the building was showing signs of distress.
Support bays are being set up and some teams continued to be based there, but most have moved.
The public will no longer be able to visit the station, with front desk services moving to Caterham Police Station later this month, and the building can no longer be used to monitor CCTV cameras for the Mole Valley District Council.
Surrey Police said it was looking at future options for what it can do with the building.
Lisa Townsend, Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “The safety of the public and our officers, staff and volunteers must be the most important consideration and I fully support the swift action the force is taking to evict the majority of the building
“This is, of course, a temporary measure, and my office will work closely with the Chief Constable and his team to ensure that we can find a long-term solution for the future of our Eastern Division HQ as soon as possible. as soon as possible.”
RAAC first emerged as an issue following the sudden collapse of a school roof in Kent in 2018. A report by the Standing Committee on Structural Safety the following year warned that the material was inherently “very weaker’ than traditional concrete and had a ‘useful use’. life” of about three decades.
In September 2022, the Government Property Office sent a notice to all property leaders warning that the entire RAAC was “expired and susceptible to collapse”.
Last month, it was announced that Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez had ordered the demolition of three of their buildings which had been built using RAAC.
Hernandez ordered surveys of all 130 properties he manages in 2019 after warnings about the material began to be sounded.
Barnstaple Police Station in North Devon fell into disuse in 2020 and a temporary replacement opened in a former car showroom. The building is pending demolition.
A sports hall and swimming pool at the force’s headquarters in Exeter have already been demolished.
Earlier this year, Police Scotland moved staff from three of its buildings after they were found to contain RAAC, following a review of 65 properties.
