The council is set to spend at least £3.8million on a new roof after potentially dangerous concrete was found last year
Waltham Forest Council is set to spend millions replacing the risky roof at Leytonstone Leisure Centre after potentially dangerous concrete was discovered last year.
In February last year, a survey discovered Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in parts of the roof and the building was temporarily shut.
RAAC is a lightweight form of concrete with a limited lifespan that has been known to collapse with little to no warning, meaning the current roof poses a “known significant risk”.
The following month, the council funded “urgent works to prop up sections of the roof structure to make the leisure centre safe” so it could reopen.
However, given this interim measure requires twice monthly inspections, council leaders now plan to spend at least £3.8million replacing the roof entirely.
A report prepared for a meeting of council leaders next week states the new roof should last “at least 25 years” and will likely be installed in phases to avoid shutting the centre down.
Leytonstone Leisure Centre is run for Waltham Forest Council by Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) but the council remains responsible for the building’s maintenance.
If council leaders approve the preferred option for the project, there will be a “rolling phased closure of parts of the centre to allow works to take place”, estimated to take a year in total.
The report adds: “Some sections of the centre will not require closure. Temporary changing facilities will be provided within the centre and the gym will be temporarily relocated to another area.”
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