4 hours ago
5
Steven Godden
BBC Scotland News
BBC
Jimmy Vallance had two hours' notice to leave his home
Standing beside the metal fence now surrounding the block of flats he once called home, Jimmy Vallance looks up at the metal shutter bolted to his living room window.
He shakes his head and sighs
"It's such a shame to see it like this," he says.
Jimmy lived in the top floor flat in Tillicoultry for more than 40 years without any problems.
That was until October 2023 when he and his wife, Fiona, were ordered to leave with just two hours' notice after inspectors discovered Raac concrete in the roof of the building.
"It was a shock" he says.
"Two or three weeks later you're sitting in temporary accommodation, looking at four walls. You've got no furniture of your own. You're surrounded by boxes. And it's like, 'oh man, this is depressing'."
Potentially dangerous Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete - a cheap, lightweight building material widely used between the 1950s and 1980's - was discovered in three blocks of flats in Tillicoultry around the same time
The 27 properties, 10 of which are privately owned, have been off limits ever since but the council says it it working with residents on a solution.
What is Raac?
Raac stands for reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.
It is a lightweight material that was used mostly in flat roofing, but also in floors and walls, between the 1950s and 1990s.
It is a cheaper alternative to standard concrete, is quicker to produce and easier to install.
It is aerated, or "bubbly" - like an Aero chocolate bar.
But it is less durable and has a lifespan of about 30 years.
Its structural behaviour differs significantly from traditional reinforced concrete.
Moreover, it is susceptible to structural failure when exposed to moisture. The bubbles can allow water to enter the material.
Raac is often coated with another material, such as bitumen on roofing panels. But this material can also degrade.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said Raac was now beyond its lifespan and may "collapse with little or no notice".
The flats in Tillicoultry have been sitting empty since October 2023
Jimmy and his wife spent 15 months living in temporary accommodation in nearby Alva which he says took a toll on their physical and mental health.
In November last year the 64-year-old was driving to a protest at the Scottish Parliament - to demand more help for Raac affected homeowners - when he suddenly felt unwell.
At the roadside he suffered the first of three seizures that led to him being placed in an induced coma for 24 hours.
"High blood pressure and the stress of being in the situation we're in. I think that combination built up, and built up and it just suddenly hit me.
"Whether my seizure was brought on by the stress they can't really say but it's got to have had some kind of impact."
For Jimmy, and the other homeowners, a major source of stress is continuing uncertainty about what will happen to the buildings.
Having spent more than 18 months stewing over potential options including demolition, the conversation has now shifted towards repairing the flats.
"If it's repaired then we've got to find the money for the repair," Jimmy says.
"Do I get loans? Do we get a loan from the council? I don't have a mortgage but do we go to a bank? At the end of the day I'm in the situation where I haven't got the finances for that."
Clackmannanshire Council said it is committed to working with private homeowners on the issue of Raac.
But, frustrated at what they see as a lack of support, residents have set up a campaign group.
They hope a meeting with council officials and contractors on Monday afternoon will offer some clarity.
It is frustrating for Jimmy to see his home closed off and nothing being done to solve its problems
The group has also written to Scotland's housing minister to ask for a meeting
Paul McLennan recently travelled to Aberdeen to listen to the concerns of residents living in Raac affected properties.
He will be involved in similar meeting in Dundee this afternoon.
McLennan said: "I recognise this is a very difficult time for those affected.
"Raac is a cross-UK problem, and we have been clear from the beginning that it requires a cross-UK solution.
"We have repeatedly called on the UK government to make available a dedicated Raac remediation fund, which they have unfortunately failed to do"
Having returned to Tillicoultry where he's renting a bungalow, Jimmy says life is "100 times better" than it was at their lowest point.
What he and Fiona want now is for this long running saga to be resolved.
"We need it finished and we need to walk away just to make it easier for us."
"At the end of the day I'm not getting any younger so I could do without all this hassle."
