Petition Urgent Support for Hirwaun, Wales, Homeowners Affected by Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC)
In February 2024, RAAC was discovered in 77 homes on Hirwaun’s Gower Estate, 14 of which are privately owned through the Right to Buy scheme. Residents now face average costs of £23,000 for a temporary fix, while contending with invalid insurance policies and unfair mortgage terms. RAAC is unstable and deteriorates rapidly, posing serious safety risks—yet neither Trivallis nor Rhondda Cynon Taf Council have offered realistic support.
We urge the Welsh Government to intervene, providing financial assistance and long-term solutions for affected homeowners.
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Hirwaun residents come from deprived communities. Many have become mortgage prisoners—trapped with lenders unwilling to refinance, while alternative providers refuse applications. “These homeowners are financially exposed, paying for home insurance that excludes RAAC-related issues, all while living under the threat of roof collapse. These properties were cheaply built by the local council, sold to Trivallis, and then passed to unsuspecting residents through the flawed Right to Buy scheme—without any disclosure of the structural risks posed by RAAC.
The Welsh Government must establish a national remediation fund—using devolved powers or by pressing the UK Government for support—and initiate a public inquiry into historic failings. Warnings were ignored: over 400 RAAC-related demolitions took place in Basildon in the 1990s, and 86 homes were condemned in West Lothian in 2004.
The Welsh Government must act now—by redefining building regulations and housing standards to mandate 50-year guarantees on defective materials, and by creating a Welsh high-risk property register to prevent future scandals.
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