York Castle Museum: Cost to fix RAAC problem 'not yet known'

As reported by The Press online on Tuesday night (September 26), York Museums Trust has confirmed that the north side of York Castle Museum, which houses attractions such as Kirkgate, has RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) in its roofing.

The trust said the building would remain closed until the necessary specialist inspections have been completed.

The move comes amid fears that the presence of RAAC could cause buildings affected to suddenly collapse.

The rest of York Castle Museum, including the Prison Cells, the Sixties Gallery and the First World War Gallery will remain open, the trust confirmed.

The partial closure notice at York Castle Museum yesterday (Image: Staff)

Speaking to The Press today (Wednesday, September 27), the museums trust said the RAAC issue had been brought to the trust's attention "very recently".

A spokesperson said: "Once we established that RAAC was present we sought advice from City of York Council. Following government guidelines we made the decision to close that part of the museum.

"The Female Prison area will need to remain closed until the specialist inspection has taken place. Once we receive that report then we will be able to assess the implications, including when we may be able to reopen that side of the museum.

"In the meantime, we are making plans to increase our offer and activities in other parts of the museum which will remain open to visitors at a reduced entry rate."

The spokesperson said it was too early to say what work might be needed to fix the RAAC problem, or what it would cost.

They said: "Until the specialist report is made available, we will not know whether any work will need to be undertaken, or the implications for York Museum Trust's finances and activities."

York Castle Museum (Image: Staff)

However, the trust confirmed that RAAC had not been found at any other York Museums Trust buildings which remain open, including York Art Gallery; Yorkshire Museum; and the attractions in other unaffected parts of York Castle Museum.

A sign at the museum entrance yesterday said ticket prices were reduced to £7 for adults, £4 for children and £6.30 for students and other concessions.

Neil Ferris, City of York Council's executive director of place, said the council was working with York Museums Trust (YMT).

He said: "Checks are being undertaken across council properties and to date we have not found any RAAC in any other buildings. We are in discussions with YMT as to the ongoing situation and we will continue to work with them closely."

Speaking on Tuesday, Kathryn Blacker, chief executive of York Museums Trust, said: "Closing this part of the museum is a sensible precautionary measure.

"We're doing all we can to ensure the necessary inspections take place as soon as possible and are planning for any potential actions we will need to put place when we receive the results of the inspection."

The discovery of RAAC at the York castle Museum comes after dozens of schools across the UK were forced to close buildings when the concrete was found on their sites.

Overall, 174 education settings in England had been confirmed with RAAC as of September 14.

No schools in York have been forced to close over safety fears surrounding RAAC.

However, as reported by The Press earlier this month, Scalby School in Scarborough is one of the schools told by the Department for Education (DfE) to partially or fully close buildings after RAAC was discovered.