Building faults found at more Scottish schools

Grant Prior 9 years ago
Share

Construction defects have been found at more schools in Edinburgh.

City of Edinburgh Council ordered the closure of 17 schools last Friday following fears over how they were built.

The closures followed the discovery of missing wall header ties at Oxgangs Primary School where part of a wall collapsed in January.

Now initial structural surveys have revealed similar problems at two other schools.

A council statement said: “Early indications are that the issue has been identified in other buildings but as yet we are not able to determine the full extent of this or the potential impact it may have.”

The schools were built under the PPP1 private finance initiative by the Edinburgh Schools Partnership (ESP).

Construction of the schools under the £360m deal was completed in 2005.

The first phase of the deal saw building of 13 schools overseen by a 50/50 joint venture of Miller Construction and Amey.

The second phase was built by Miller.

Galliford Try – who bought Miller in 2014 – carried out remedial works and checks on other buildings constructed under the initiative.

The council added: “A programme of structural surveys, arranged by Edinburgh Schools Partnership, are continuing this week, with updated information being confirmed as early as possible in respect of each school.”

Shares in Galliford Try fell 7.36% on Monday following news of the problems.

A Galliford Try Stock Exchange statement on Tuesday morning said: “Galliford Try acquired Miller Construction in 2014.

“In March this year we were notified that Oxgangs Primary School, built by Miller Construction more than 10 years ago, lost part of one external wall which blew off in Storm Gertrude.

“Oxgangs was built as part of Edinburgh’s PPP schools programme between 2002 and 2005.

“The programme, which comprised 17 schools in two phases, was managed by an SPV, Edinburgh Schools Partnership.

“ESP subcontracted the construction of the schools to a number of contractors including Miller Construction.

“Through its acquisition of Miller Construction, Galliford Try has contractual responsibility for four of the seventeen schools.

“Remedial work required to remedy defects in those four schools is nearing completion and the costs are not material to the Group.

“Galliford Try takes its role as a responsible contractor very seriously and the safety of the pupils and staff is paramount.”

Latest news

Breakthrough for HS2 as first Birmingham tunnel section dug

Balfour Beatty VINCI completes 3.5km TBM drive in 652 days drive
2 days ago

HS2 Curzon Street station redesign approved as timber roof axed

Change to meet stricter fire safety rules and cut maintenance costs
2 days ago

Care home fire trial collapses

Prosecution withdrawn against four firms including Morgan Sindall Property Services
3 days ago

Leicester rebids £22m station revamp after failed tender race

Council opts for ECI route after receiving one bid for project
2 days ago

Kier wins East Coast College rebuild job in Great Yarmouth

Work to start this summer for 1,300-student college
2 days ago

R G Carter wins £28m hospital car park job in King’s Lynn

MSCP paves way for £1.5bn Queen Elizabeth Hospital rebuild in 2027
2 days ago

London to relax green belt building rules

Sadiq Khan shifts position on planning
2 days ago

Willmott Dixon wins Great Yarmouth waterfront deal

North Quay 10.5 acres mixed-use scheme to advance
3 days ago

SIG chief quits to join Travis Perkins

Gavin Slark to leave by the end of this year
2 days ago

Eight take key spots on £250m Prosper framework

Housing and public building upkeep deal for North East awarded
3 days ago

Early call-out for £150m Ebbsfleet Garden City infrastructure

Bidders day to set out plan for Ebbsfleet Central commercial scheme
4 days ago

McLaren storms April contracts league with flurry of wins

Cardiff Bay Arena job headlines a series of big contract wins
3 days ago

Balfour Beatty lifts cash forecast after strong first quarter

Contractor set to hit £1bn average monthly net cash in 2025
3 days ago

Goldman Sachs-owned Adler & Allan buys 180-strong civils outfit

West Country's Glanville Environmental gets new owner
3 days ago

Caddick lands first contract for £200m Skelmersdale revamp

Developer gets green light for masterplan
3 days ago

Van Elle sells HGV fleet to haulage firm

WS Specialist Logistics pays £2.9m to take on fleet and drivers
3 days ago

Buyers more bullish about prospects for year ahead

Residential "resilient" but commercial work a weak spot
4 days ago

Council backs first Brutalist car park-to-flats scheme

Newcastle-under-Lyme multi-storey car park to be reborn as pioneering homes scheme
4 days ago

Hinkley Point C hits peak build with 26,000 jobs

3,000 more workers to join as fit-out work ramps up
4 days ago

Over 40 firms win Wessex Water M&E minor works deal

Broad sweep of specialists picked for AMP8 programme
4 days ago

Spencer lands Scottish bridge hat-trick

Steelwork, gantries and bearing upgrades on Kessock, Forth and Tay crossings
5 days ago

Winners revealed for £1.5bn decarbonisation deal

Fusion21 confirms places for 40 firms: Full list
4 days ago

Cladding firm fined £225,000 after fatal fall

Court hears how cherry picker didn't reach all parts of repair job
4 days ago

Completed buildings caught-up in Gateway 2 chaos

Developer distraught after dealing with Building Safety Regulator
5 days ago

Aviva submits plans for 34-storey City office tower

Subject to planning work to start in autumn 2027
5 days ago

Murphy takes 40% stake in Aussie civils contractor

Firm enters Australasian market with stake in Sydney-based contractor Abergeldie
5 days ago

Moat seeks firm for £420m repairs and maintenance deal

15-year deal to upkeep 20,000 south east homes
5 days ago

Lynch takes over hotel for Sizewell plant operators

Hire giant now in the hotel business to guarantee accommodation for workers
5 days ago

Subcontractors wanted across Scotland

Latest Constructionline event in Glasgow: Register now
5 days ago

Six guilty of £2m bribery over Devon housing site deals

Corrupt building bosses and E.ON project chief and QS sentenced
1 week ago

Contractor services