“Imagine being told everything you’ve worked for, all that you’ve built in your life is about to be flattened...
how would you be? We’re heartbroken.” These are the words of Lynn Winstanley, one of the homeowners coming to terms with news that the Aberdeen City Council appears poised to demolish their homes because of Raac. The dangerous material was discovered in studies last year, and a mass evacuation was launched this spring as residents began being ferried from unsafe homes.
In a tumultuous week for residents of Torry, I spent two days with those at the very heart of the Raac crisis: the beleaguered families of Balnagask. It’s Wednesday morning and, as I drive to the Bridge Centre, my phone repeatedly beeps. Homeowners of Raac-affected houses have received a hand-delivered letter, and my Facebook messenger inbox is filling up.
By the time I plug in my laptop in at the community cafe, where I’ll be for the next two days, there’s already a queue of people who want to talk to me. First up was Pam Milne, one of many whose home is affected by Raac. Pam Milne, a retired dinner lady from Victoria Road School For 41 years Pam has lived on Balnagask Road.
She began her time in the three-bed “hen house” as a council tenant but was later able to buy her home. “I’ve just put two new showers in, and wardrobes. I’ve spent a fortune on it over the years.
” Pam moved to Torry when she left her husband. Any sense of loss was quickly replaced by a community that.