RAAC in almshouses – what to look out for

You will undoubtedly have seen a lot in the news recently about “crumbling concrete” in schools and the current measures being taken to identify similar situations and the closure of schools on safety grounds.

The issue first came to light following the collapse of a roof in a school in 2017 and another at Singlewell Primary School in Kent in 2018. Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) was predominantly used in schools but was also used in other public buildings such as hospitals and libraries from the 1950s up until the 1990s.

What is RAAC?  

RAAC is a lightweight form of concrete. The Standing Committee on Structural Safety (SCOSS) has noted that: ‘Although called “concrete”, RAAC is very different from traditional concrete and, because of the way in which it was made, much weaker. …..RAAC was used in schools, colleges and other building construction from the 1950s until the mid-1990s. It may, therefore, be found in any school and college building (educational and ancillary) that was either built or modified in this time period. ….RAAC has been found in a wide range of buildings, not all of which are still in the public sector.’

The main current problem is where the material was used in plank form for flat roof decks; and the areas of concern are mainly large flat roofs built between the 1960s to 1980s; although RAAC was also occasionally used in floors and walls.

Is this a problem that could affect almshouses?

This type of construction is unlikely to be found in the majority of almshouse properties. It was not widely used for domestic construction and, whilst there are a number of almshouse buildings which were constructed between the 1950s and the mid-1990s with flat roofs, the most likely material for these is timber, although more standard reinforced concrete was also fairly often used.

almshouse with a flat roof

The most likely possible use would be for buildings with large span flat roofs such as community halls, boardrooms, communal kitchens, scooter stores, boiler rooms, laundries, bin stores, garages etc. Where these exist and do have flat roofs, charities would be advised to take some steps to try and identify the material used in the construction of the roof deck.

Identifying RAAC

In many cases, checking to see if RAAC has been used should be straight forward – timber joists or metal truss beams are easily identifiable.

Occasionally charities may have original construction drawings available. Where this is the case, various trade names – Siporex, Durox, Celcon, Hebel and Ytong all manufactured RAAC panels, although it is also very common for substitutions in materials to have been made after drawings were completed, so this is not a definitive way of telling whether RAAC is actually present.

Concrete roof decks are sometimes visible although fairly often the ceilings will make identification difficult. In many cases ceilings will be suspended – either plasterboard or lay-in grid, concealed grid type or fine wood boards. In some cases there will be no access hatch and, therefore, some destructive opening up would be needed in order to even view the roof deck. This this should never be done without first checking for the presence of asbestos (charities with large common areas should have an asbestos register in place anyway, although this may not have identified all areas).

Lay-in grid ceilings can be lifted although this sometimes results in damage to tiles.

A typical lay-in grid suspended ceiling, easy enough to lift
Fine wood boarded ceiling, completely conceals roof structure

RAAC is usually visually identifiable although not always and sometimes some further minor destructive testing will be needed.

What if RAAC is present?

In the unlikely event that a charity does have RAAC in its roof structure, the area concerned should be isolated until further action can be taken. There are a number of repair methods available from providing additional supports to complete replacement; the location, condition and use of the panels will determine which is the most appropriate solution.

Conclusion

The majority of almshouses are unlikely to have an issue with RAAC, however, if your buildings were constructed between the 1950s and the mid-1990s and you have large flat roofs in buildings such as community halls, boardrooms or laundries etc. you should take steps to identify the roof construction. If you need further advice you should consult a Chartered Building Surveyor or Structural Engineer to carry out a more detailed inspection.

Contributed by Panel Consultant:
Tim Richardson MCIAT MCIOB MSAI MRICS; Chartered Architectural Technologist, Chartered Construction Manager, Chartered Building Surveyor, CIAT-Accredited Conservationist; Quinquennial Inspections Limited; Email: info@timothyrichardson.co.uk
Tel: 0121 471 1478

posted 5 September 2023

Heritage almshouses throw open their doors

England’s largest festival of history and culture!

The country’s largest Heritage Open Days festival returns with a packed programme of FREE events, unwrapping England’s history of creativity and this September almshouses from all over England are taking part.

It’s wonderful to see so many member charities participating – this event not only provides an excellent opportunity for almshouses to share their rich historical backgrounds but also helps people understand their significant role in society.

The Heritage Open Days Festival is a fantastic platform for showcasing the heritage and stories of almshouses and contributes to the celebration of community spirit and the sharing of captivating narratives and anecdotes. It’s a great way for people to connect with their local history and appreciate the valuable contributions almshouses have made to their communities over hundreds of years.

To find our more, please click in the links below:

We are sure the Festival will be a great success and hope many people take the opportunity to visit and learn more about these cherished almshouses during this year’s Festival, which runs until September 17th. It’s a valuable initiative that fosters appreciation for history and the importance of preserving our cultural heritage.

posted 4 September 2023

Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill 2022-23: Affordable Housing and the Infrastructure Levy

This flagship item of legislation is continuing to progress its way slowly through Parliament and is currently at the Report Stage in House of Lords, prior to its 3rd Reading.

This legislation will have a wide ranging impact across England and Wales.  One of the biggest changes will be to Community Infrastructure Levy, which will be retained by Greater London and Wales, but the rest of England will have a new Infrastructure Levy system, which will be non-negotiable and set locally. It will also eventually replace s.106 contributions.

Local Authorities must provide an exemption for Charities, where they would be liable to pay for the development or if the building or structure is to wholly or mainly used for a charitable purpose. They may also provide full or partial exemptions for institutions established for charitable purposes.

The Levy itself can be used for a wider range of “infrastructure” including

(a) roads and other transport facilities, (b) flood defences, (c) schools and other educational facilities, (d) medical facilities, (e) sporting and recreational facilities, (f) open spaces,  (g) affordable housing, (h) facilities and equipment for emergency and rescue services, (i) facilities and spaces which— (i) preserve or improve the natural environment, or (ii) enable or facilitate enjoyment of the natural environment, and (j) facilities and spaces for the mitigation of, and adaption to, climate change.

There may well be scope for further exploration as the definition of affordable housing is given as:

“affordable housing” means— (a) social housing within the meaning of Part 2 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008, and (b) any other description of housing that IL regulations may specify.

This is an very important clause, as it could well allow almshouses, as community housing to be considered as “affordable housing” for the purposes of receiving funding from the Infrastructure Levy.  The Infrastructure Levy regulations will be made by Statutory Instrument.

The Almshouse Association (with your support) has already been active (see Questions to Parliament ) in trying to get this definition widened for s.106 funding. The latest position from Government is indicating that they wish to leave Local Authorities to decide, however we will push for a clear national position. 

P&G update: 22.08.23

Policy and Governance Update – Qualification for those operating Social Housing

We met with DLUC development team this week who are working on the requirements for qualification of those operating Social Housing following the Social Housing and Regeneration Act 2023.

There are two main areas requiring qualification identified in the Act. Those providing leadership and those providing housing management within an organisation or associated organisation. These are identified within the Act identified as Senior Housing Manager (Level 4) who carries out a series of duties that include: customer service, complaints, lettings, repairs etc and a Senior Housing Executive who has a strategic role (Level 5) more likely to be the CEO or equivalent. Both require a qualification (though this is yet to be defined).

In these discussions we have set out the case that such requirements on trustees would be detrimental to the appointment of and retention of almshouse charity trustees. We have made the case that trustees already have a personal responsibility to the charity and the effective and safe running of the almshouses. We further discussed a typical almshouse structure whereby the “management” may be subcontracted to a part time clerk or firm of surveyors firm and discussed how the requirement for Senior Housing Manager qualifications would work in such circumstances.

It is our view that a requirement for trustees to gain a qualification would be beyond reasonable expectations and that the almshouse model, as a charity structure, should be exempt from this aspect of the legislation.

posted 22 August 2023

STOP PRESS – Community housing at heart of Govt housebuilding announcement

On 24 July 2023, both the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak and the Housing & Levelling Up Secretary, Michael Gove gave commitments to meet the Conservative Government’s target of building 1 million new homes over the course of the current Parliament.

For almshouses, there were a number of specific points to note within these announcements, especially the focus on a more locally and community driven approach to new housebuilding.

  1. “Development should proceed on sites that are adopted in a local plan with full input from the local community, unless there are strong reasons why it cannot.”
  2. “Better use should be made of small pockets of brownfield land by being more permissive, so more homes can be built more quickly, where and how it makes sense, giving more confidence and certainty to SME builders.”
  3. Consultation on Permitted Development Rights, to convert redundant commercial properties in town and city centres to residential.
  4. Establishing the Office for Place in Stoke-on-Trent, a new body to lead a design revolution, ensuring beautiful new homes are built according to a simple design code supported by local people. The Office for Place will support residents to demand what they find beautiful from developers – ensuring every local place is built to reflect the individual local character and beauty of every community across the country.
  5. £800 million allocated from the Brownfield, Infrastructure and Land fund to unlock.

Almshouses have a proud track record of providing focused community housing in line with local needs and as such the announcement could provide greater scope and opportunities for new almshouses.

The Almshouse Association will be carrying out a Census of our member Almshouse Charities this autumn and the information you provide will be key to helping us to help you, by raising awareness of the good work you do for your local communities with Members of Parliament, Local Councils and Councillors.

posted 10 August 2023

P&G update: 8.8.23 Charity Investments

The Charity Commission has updated guidance on charities and investments.

Published on 1st August 2023, the guidance (known as CC14) has been redesigned to offer greater clarity and to give trustees confidence to make investment decisions that are right for their charity.

The language used in the guidance is clearer and the structure has been updated so that it is shorter and easier to use, and trustees can find the information they need more quickly.

As discussion continues within the sector about charities’ ability to account for factors such as the environmental impact of investments, the guidance makes clearer that trustees have discretion to choose what is best in their circumstances and have a range of investment options open to them – provided they ultimately further the charity’s purposes.

The refreshed guidance follows a Commission ‘call for information’ and consultation on financial investment and reflects a significant High Court judgment on charity trustees’ investment duties (the ‘Butler-Sloss’ case). Trustees can have confidence in the decisions they make when following the guidance, knowing it is up to date and properly reflects the relevant law.

The guidance:

  • includes examples of various issues which may be relevant for trustees to consider when making investment decisions, such as the potential for an investment to conflict with the purposes of the charity, or the reputational impact of an investment decision.
  • lists steps trustees ‘must’ take to be compliant with the law and those trustees ‘should’ do which are strongly recommended as best practice but not legally required.
  • explains that acting in the best interests of a charity is about ensuring that above all else any decision furthers its purposes. It also warns trustees to not allow personal motives, opinions, or interests to affect the decisions they make.
  • incorporates previously separate guidance on social investment and no longer uses terminology that could get in the way of trustees’ understanding, such as ‘ethical investment’, ‘mixed motive investment’ and ‘programme related investment’.

The examples featured in the guidance are designed to help trustees identify the factors that are relevant to their own charity’s situation and then use these to determine how to approach their investment decisions. This should make it easier for trustees to apply the guidance correctly and feel able to justify that the decisions they take are in their charity’s best interests.

posted 8 August 2023

The Almshouse Association 72nd AGM 2023

Our seventy-second AGM took take place on 15 June 2023 at One Great George Street, Westminster, London SW1P 3AA, prior to the start of Member Day 2023.

Our outgoing Chair Elizabeth Fathi reflected on 2022 and her five years as Chair of the Association. This was followed by acceptance of the Minutes of the seventy-first Almshouse Association 2022 AGM  held on Wednesday 15 June 2022 at Grand Station, Sun Street, Wolverhampton.

Board members, John Broughton, Elizabeth Fathi, Willie Hartley Russell and Tricia Scouller had served 3 years in their current trustee tenures and sought re-appointment, which was voted on and seconded by members; all were re-appointed. Willie Hartley Russell was confirmed as the new Chairman of The Association.

Simon Ling, Honorary Treasurer, then presented the 2022 financial accounts which were adopted and Simon confirmed the re-appointment of Auditors, Buzzacott LLP.

The Almshouse Association Accounts and Annual Report 2022 can be downloaded here. (Hard copies were presented to all AGM delegates on 14 June 2023; main member contacts of the Association will be receiving their hard copy of the Annual Report with the summer Gazette mailing.)

New Chairman, Willie Hartley Russell presents outgoing Chair, Elizabeth Fathi will a bouquet.

An address from the new Chairman, Willie Hartley Russell followed; he shared his five year chairmanship plan with delegates which focuses on the following five areas: legislation and regulation, financial stability and fundraising, Billingbear Lodge, research and 2023/2029 Strategy.

“There is a need to ensure that the almshouse model that has flourished for the last 1000 years, remains as relevant today as it always has been.”

Willie Hartley Russell, Chairman of The Almshouse Association

The AGM concluded with an update on strategic goals from Association CEO Nick Phillips and a presentation to the outgoing Chair, Elizabeth Fathi.

Nick gave his and the teams personal thanks to Elizabeth Fathi for her vision, ambition and encouragement to “challenge ourselves to think further and greater for the Association and the almshouse movement”. We have found it hugely stimulating to have Elizabeth Fathi as our Chair. Elizabeth led the association to think beyond the shores of Great Britain, engaging with our European partners.

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posted 3 August 2023

2021/2 AWARD WINNERS

Almshouse Association Award winners announced and celebrated at Members Day 2023.

Members Day had a buzz of excitement in the room when the Awards for 2021 and 2022 were announced by our Awards Committee Chair, Simon Pott. Members received warm applause as they took to their feet and collected their well-earned recognition and award certificates.

The Awards are a significant part of not only Members Day but also the almshouse movement. They highlight the dedication and hard work of our members in almshouse development and community spirit, epitomising the excellence that all our members are working towards. All our members are to be commended for their commitment, enthusiasm and devotion to their almshouses and their residents.

The Inspirational Homes Awards 2021/2022 Almshouse Association award winners

Wyggestons and Trinity Almshouses Charity, Leicester
A new three-storey extension providing a community ‘hub’. Eight self-contained one and two-bedroom flats on the first and second floor together with six single-storey dwellings, the provision of additional parking and a new bin store. A truly inspiring development.


Hallaton & Isabella Stenning Trust, Hallaton, Market Harborough
A beautifully built two-bedroom bungalow sits comfortably within its setting in a quiet lane in Hallaton. Trustees used a conscientious and sensitive approach to the design, ensuring no adverse impact on the heritage of adjacent properties and wider village.

Peter Birtwistle Trust, Peter Birtwistle House, Colne, Lancashire
An outstanding new build property of twelve supported one and two-bedroom flats. Local shops and amenities are close by and easily accessible enabling residents to continue to live independently in their local community.

Tibberton Almshouses, Gloucester
Exceptional improvements to four semi-detached almshouses carried out in stages over the past 10 years.


Great Shelford Parochial Charities, Cambridge
A stunning new development of 21 modern almshouses for individuals, couples and families on a green belt exception site. Triple-glazed throughout with air supply heat pumps and heat recovery systems.

The Poland Trust, Brockham, Surrey
A stunning new almshouse development which supports the local younger generation and is partly funded by the sale of five self-build plots that are capped at 80% of market value.

The Honywood & Douglas Charity, Lenham, Kent
A beautiful extension of an existing bungalow forming two one-bedroom homes, with the conversion of an existing historic outbuilding, creating a further one-bedroom property.
Communal gardens and close to important village amenities.

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The Gardens and People 2021/2022 Almshouse Association award winners


Penrose Gardens, Barnstaple Almshouses, Barnstaple, Devon
This award-winning garden design includes areas for vegetables, herbs and flowers, raised beds, allotment plots and sheds, ensuring something for everyone who lives at Penrose.

Frances Darlington Charity, Charnock near Chorley, Lancashire
In lockdown, a group of ladies from the community wanted to form a craft group. With no cost involved, the group meets up once a month in the chapel to enjoy each other’s company and share their skills and expertise.

Zeals Almshouse Charity, Chafyn Grove, Zeals, Wiltshire
Beautifully manicured and well-loved, low-cost gardens that welcome the whole community in for local events and to see their floral displays year-round.

Penrose Gardens, Barnstaple Almshouses
Frances Darlington Charity
Zeals Almshouse Charity

To read all about the award winning entries in full, please click on the links below:

The awards are for everyone to participate in and celebrate their achievements. They belong to all of you who are working on a daily basis to provide the best service you can for your residents. Help us celebrate your achievements by submitting an application for your 2023 projects and developments.

Details on how to submit your projects or developments for a 2023 Award will be posted on our website soon and will also appear in our Autumn Gazette.


Consumer Standards Consultation

The Almshouse Association Response to consultation on Consumer Standards

On 25 July 2023, the Regulator of Social Housing set out a new proposed set of consumer standards. The consumer standards have been designed by the Regulator of Housing (RSH) to enhance the experience and improve the wellbeing of occupiers (tenants) of social housing.

In January 2023, the RSH sought input for the draft plans from The Almshouse Association and although much of the positive detail remains and some of the areas we raised concerns about have been removed from this draft, there are, however, many areas in the current proposal that we will, and must, challenge.

We remain concerned about elements of ‘tenant management’ proposed (given the personal responsibility held by trustees), aspects of the Mutual Exchange and particularly the indication that all forms of occupation may be swept up with this proposal.

We will be seeking your input and will respond robustly.

Please find link to the consultation.

NOTE: only affects almshouse charities that are Registered Housing Providers

Posted 31 July 2023

Launching soon! The Almshouse Association Friends of Club!

The Almshouse Association Friends of Club

‘Preserving the historic value of the almshouse movement and securing its future.’

Our aim here at The Almshouse Association is to provide a welcoming Club that makes supporters of almshouses feel a close connection with each other, where you can connect and share your passion for almshouses and the almshouse movement.

The Friends of Club will offer some amazing benefits to our ‘Friends’ with a unique calendar of activities and projects that you can get involved in. Other benefits will include a twice-yearly newsletter with updates on the Association’s activities, an exclusive Friends Networking Event, dates of Friends gatherings held across the UK, and case studies and biographies of Trustees, Ambassadors, and Regional Peer Representatives.

We welcome Elizabeth Fathi, previous Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Almshouse Association as our first ‘Friend of The Almshouse Association’

Nick Phillips, our CEO, says, “We are delighted to have Elizabeth as our first honorary ‘Friend’. She will be a supportive addition to this new Club. Her expansive knowledge of the almshouse movement will be an amazing asset to everyone involved in the Friends of Club.  We welcome Elizabeth.”

We will also be welcoming all our Lifetime and Associate Members to Friends.

If you are a Lifetime or Associate Member you will have received a letter with further details of the Friends of Club and we look forward to sharing the many benefits with you over the coming months.

We are busy finalising The ‘Friends of’ Club’s very own website page and we will let you know as soon as this is up and running. In the meantime, if you would like to find out more, please contact David Burton or Gerry Harmon on 01344 452922

posted 31 July 2023