One year on: Tillicoultry RAAC resident speaks out

They were told it would be over by the summer. They thought they would be allowed to go home.

On Wednesday, October 11, residents living in two blocks of flats on Park Street and High Street in Tillicoultry were evacuated from their homes by Clackmannanshire Council.

They joined scared and anxious homeowners from Chapelle Crescent, who had been taken out of their homes over concerns surrounding reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

Now, a year on, they face the possibility of having their homes demolished, leaving them with nothing.

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Lynsey McQuater was one of the residents impacted and has spent the last year living in temporary accommodation with her unwell mum.

She spoke with the Advertiser to discuss her experiences over the past year and how this has impacted her.

Lynsey reflected on the night it all happened, when Clacks Council officers identified her building as at risk of collapse due to RAAC and took action to safeguard the residents.

“I had lived there for 23 years,” she explained. “I only had two years of my mortgage to pay and I had only just put in a new Wrens kitchen. 

“The night it happened, I wasn’t at home, my mum had just got out of Glasgow Royal Infirmary so I had went to stay with her. 

“The next morning, one of my neighbours contacted me and told me the police broke into my house last night. 

EMPTY: Lynsey's home has been lying dormant since October 11. (Image: Scott Barron)“That was awful for me knowing somebody had been trampling all over my stuff, I understand why they did it though.”

For Lynsey, she didn’t know what was happening. RAAC had been in the news beforehand, but she didn’t think it would impact her home.

She had bought her flat on High Street in 2000 and, like many others, had invested time, money and memories into her new home.

The thought that strangers were walking around her home and that she was powerless to do anything about it was devastating for her.

After getting through to the council, she had the situation explained to her. RAAC had been found in three flat blocks in Tillicoultry.

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The council said the flats were dangerous, that the buildings could come down any minute, and that they could not return.

With her mum just out the hospital after major surgery, Lynsey’s options were few, she couldn’t go very far. 

She went on: “At first, they offered me a B&B in Stirling and I got quite upset about it because I couldn’t leave my mum. 

“She’s just had major surgery and I needed somewhere closer to home or to her in Alloa. 

“They said I could stay with her and then I got a letter to say I was not a priority for homelessness because my mum’s got a spare bed.”

BREAK-IN: The flats were subject to vandalism in August. (Image: Scott Barron) Settling down in her mum’s spare room, Lynsey has spent the last year there in Alloa. She has become a leading member of a vocal group fighting for justice for the RAAC residents.

Despite the campaign work she has been carrying out, their situation remains the same and Lynsey couldn’t believe how much time had passed.

She said: “I thought that one year down the line, we wouldn’t be here, it would all be finalised. 

“We were told that at one of the meetings in February that they were hoping to have it finalised by the summer time. 

“We’re still here and we don’t really know what’s happening.”

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Despite being moved out of her home, Lynsey has been dealt more sucker punches after insurance companies refused to pay out due to RAAC.

The banks expected regular mortgage payments to carry on as normal from Lynsey, despite her not having had access to her home for a year.

She described this as one of the hardest parts – the lack of communication, the mortgage payments, the feeling of helplessness.

She continued: “The bank said that since I’m still able bodied and can keep working, I’ve to keep paying out the mortgage, which has been horrendous for me. 

“I think the hardest part has been the unknown because the lack of communication with Clackmannanshire Council has been quite poor. 

“Our last meeting with them was on February 15.”

A further blow was dealt to the residents on Tuesday, August 27, as residents discovered their flats had been subject to an attempted break in.

Protective screens around their flats had been ripped off and despite Clackmannanshire Council and the police insisting that nothing had been taken, this was the final straw for Lynsey.

PROTEST: Lynsey has become a vocal member of the UK RAAC Campaign Group. (Image: Scott Barron Photography)

She said: “I’m still paying a mortgage on my home which has been vandalised and it absolutely destroys me. 

“There’s a lot of sadness, a lot of anger and a lot of confusion because we just don’t know. 

“That was my home for 23 years and in a couple of years, I’d be mortgage free. I worked hard for it and to walk away with nothing, it just makes me quite sad.

 “I’ve got a chronic condition and there’s no way that I’d be able to get another mortgage after this. 

“You just don’t want to think about that because it’s quite scary. We don’t know what our future holds. 

“I had plans for when I’d bought my flat and now it’s been taken from me and there’s nothing for us.”

After a delay, a report was presented to residents outlining options for the three buildings.

This includes demolition, repair work and compulsory purchase order, with the residents to be involved in the decision making process.

The paper was set to be put forward to councillors in August, but has suffered delays, leaving residents in the dark for the foreseeable.

READ MORE: RAAC flats subject to attempted break-in

 For Lynsey, there is now just a feeling of helplessness. All she can do is watch as her home is potentially taken away from her.

 She feels herself edging towards giving up, accepting that her home has now been lost forever.

She said: “I didn’t actually think that we would never get back home at the time. I always assumed that I’d get back home. 

“There’s items belonging to my dad and brother in the flat and I want them most of all because they’ll never be replaced. 

“For me personally, for my mental health, I need closure. 23 years is a long time and I want to be able to say goodbye. 

“This was a place I called home, it was where I felt safe and secure and it’s all been taken away.” 

Commenting on the situation, a spokesperson for Clackmannanshire Council said: “

The Council recognises this has been a worrying time for those concerned and we will continue to provide appropriate support to those directly affected.

“The Council is also meeting with a representative from the RAAC Group next week with the aim of establishing a regular timetable of meetings, with a standing agenda, with the affected residents.

“A paper considering the future of the RAAC evacuated properties is currently being prepared and will be brought to Council as soon as possible."