By Jamie Waller, Local Democracy Reporter
A decision will be made this week on whether to approve repairs costing more than £210,000 at a leisure centre where unsafe concrete has been found.
RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) was discovered in Bramcote Leisure Centre in late 2023.
The lightweight building material was used in the construction of many schools and public buildings, but a roof collapse last year has triggered urgent repairs.
It has been confirmed that RAAC was found in the roof and wall of a 1970s squash court extension to the Bramcote Leisure Centre, which is now used as fitness suites.
The council-owned leisure centre is already considered beyond its serviceable life, with many parts of the roof in poor condition.
A surveyor’s report recommends that the RAAC replacement work needs to be urgently carried out within six months.
However, it notes that there is no sign of the concrete failing yet.
Broxtowe Borough Council is likely to authorise emergency work which will extend the leisure centre’s lifespan another three to five years.
This includes the immediate replacement of the RAAC, as well as repairs to mechanical and electrical systems.
The costs will total £218,000, with a full replacement leisure centre estimated at around £4.5m.
The centre on A52 Brian Clough Way was built in the 1960s, and is now run for the council by Liberty Leisure Ltd.
The decision will be before Broxtowe’s Cabinet on Tuesday (March 12).
RAAC was widely used between the 1950s and 1990s as a cheaper and lighter alternative to concrete, but is now believed to have only a 30 year lifespan.
Hundreds of schools were forced to close last September after the unexpected collapse of a structure which wasn’t thought to be at risk.
The government later confirmed the material was found in 238 schools, which will be removed or the buildings replaced as soon as possible.
The decision over Bramcote Leisure Centre comes months after the imminent closure of nearby Kimberley Leisure Centre was announced.
The council, which ran it along with Kimberley School and Liberty Leisure, said they had been unable to come to an agreement over the soaring repair costs that it required.
The 46-year-old facility will close at the end of March.
