Sheffield RAAC: Meadowhall Shopping Centre releases statement on 'dangerous' concrete

Shopping centre bosses have confirmed none of Meadowhall is made using 'dangerous' RAAC, after repeated calls for information.

Management teams for Meadowhall Shopping Centre, which sees 24 million people visit annually, say the 'crumbly' concrete is not present anywhere on site.

It comes as schools, courts and theatres made with RAAC nationwide have closed with immediate effect since late August over safety concerns.

Today, the centre's co-owners, British Land, confirmed the material is not present on site.

A spokesperson for Meadowhall said “We can confirm that we have no presence of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) at Meadowhall”.

It comes after the presence of RAAC this month led to the partial closure of Sheffield's Abbey Lane Primary School as well as the collapse of the ceiling on a hospital ward at Doncaster Royal Infirmary.

Meadowhall's co-owners - property developers British Land, who own it 50/50 with Norwegian sovereign wealth fund Norges - is preparing to sell the shopping centre for £750m it what The Times says would be one of the largest deals of its kind in the past decade.

Despite the centre being 98 per cent occupied, any buyer would have to take on £450m of debt secured against Meadowhall.

The Times reports that cost of servicing the debt has meant Meadowhall’s owners have received no income from the centre for three years. However, the centre’s income is understood to be close to surpassing the debt costs.