Raac campaigners call for Angus homeowners to be included in council fix

Raac campaigners have called for private homeowners in Angus to be included in any fix by the council.

Councillors will meet today (Thursday May 8) to consider an options appraisal report for houses in Monifieth’s Milton Street.

The local authority has 25 houses there which were built in the 1960s using the potentially dangerous material.

The recommended course of action is to replace the roofs on each of these properties.

However, there are also around 50 privately-owned properties in the street which could contain the potentially dangerous material.

A report to be debated by councillors this afternoon has ruled out the compulsory purchase of these homes.

‘We will have to wait and see’

Jim Tait has lived in his Milton Street home with his wife Ann for 60 years.

They first moved in as council tenants before buying the property in the 90s.

The pensioners had planned to sell the Milton Street house in order to move into a single storey retirement home but the Raac discovery has left them in limbo.

Speaking to The Courier ahead of Thursday’s meeting, Jim admitted it is a waiting game to find out what the council has planned for private homeowners.

“I got the impression they are going to be speaking about both (private and council tenants) and I hope that is the case,” he said.

“I will go on YouTube and follow what’s happening (at the meeting) but we will just have to wait and see.”

Angus Council will contact private Raac homeowners

In a letter sent to Milton Street residents – seen by The Courier – housing chief Catherine Johnson confirmed private owners would be contacted after the meeting.

The letter read: “Councillors will be asked to note our options appraisal and to give permission for us to begin engagement with you on the best options for all residents across the area.”

But Yvette Hoskins, who leads the Dundee and Angus Raac campaign alongside her husband Wayne, has called for clarity on the situation.

She said: “I’m worried about where home owners stand in regards to the work in Monifieth.

“There is only one terrace row in the whole estate where they are all home owners – the rest are mixed.

“They will have to decant the residents to repair the roof so I’m nervous about how it will affect home owners.”

The Courier has launched our Trapped by Raac campaign to press for the issue to be debated by government.

We’re asking readers to sign this petition to give them a voice and get the issue to parliament.