Torry Raac residents whose homes face demolition will finally get to put their concerns directly to the SNP’s housing minister after “months of silence”.
Paul McLennan will meet affected homeowners fighting for fair compensation during a visit to Aberdeen scheduled for May 2.
It will be the first time he has met Torry residents in person since the crisis – which affects both council and private properties – first came to light early last year.
Campaigners say they “endured uncertainty and fear” since the potentially dangerous concrete was discovered in their homes – with little direct engagement from the Scottish Government until now.
A total of 500 Torry homes will be bulldozed – despite an ongoing wrangle where some owners are refusing to sell.
Homeowners face losses of between £35,000 and £55,000 on average on the sale of their property, as Aberdeen City Council proposes offering “current market values” for their homes.
‘People of Torry have been left abandoned’
A spokesperson for the Torry Community Raac Campaign said: “This visit is not a favour – it’s a bare minimum after months of silence.
“The people of Torry have been left feeling abandoned. The minister’s absence has only added to the distress.”
In a letter to North East Tory MSP Liam Kerr, Mr McLennan’s office says the minister recognises it is a “worrying time” for homeowners.
The correspondence emphasises the “ongoing discussions” that have taken place between Mr McLennan and Aberdeen City councillors and officers.
Despite admitting the “challenges” the council faces, the letter states the Scottish Government considers Raac a matter of “building maintenance”, with building owners “responsible for any costs incurred”.
Campaigners are challenging this stance, arguing the issue stems from decades of warnings and oversight failures at government and local authority level.
So far neither the UK or Scottish Governments has offered any extra financial support to Aberdeen City Council to deal with the issue.
A petition is gathering thousands of signatures in the hope of forcing Westminster to debate the plight of residents.
‘Missing in action’
Mr Kerr, who has repeatedly urged Mr McLennan to visit Torry, said residents deserve answers on why he has been “missing in action”.
“At the very least from this visit, I expect Mr McLennan to commit to working with Aberdeen City Council to ensure a proper financial support scheme is in place to ensure residents aren’t short-changed”, he added.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said they take Raac “very seriously” and have established regular meetings with public and private sector bodies over the issue.
She added: “We continue to urge the UK Government to make additional funding available but to date they have refused to do so.”
But the UK Government has no plans for a UK-wide response on the issue.
Their position is that funding for managing Raac is for devolved administrations and relevant local authorities.
Aberdeen City Council declined to comment.
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