North Herts Council has responded to concerns about the presence of RAAC concrete at Hitchin's Churchgate shopping centre.

Hundreds of buildings across the UK have been found to have Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete, which was used in construction between the 1950s and 1990s as a cheaper building alternative.

RAAC is less durable than standard concrete and has a life span of around 30 years, as well as being susceptible to structural failure when exposed to moisture.

One Churchgate business, which asked to remain anonymous, contacted the Comet about concerns that the concrete was present at the Hitchin shopping centre.

"We believe the concrete used in the ceilings of Churchgate is probably RAAC, and our part of the building had cracks running down the rear and inside upper floor ceilings," said the owner.

North Herts Council confirmed to this newspaper that it had not received any reports from Churchgate businesses about RAAC, but are keen to hear any concerns so surveying can take place.

"We’ve been working hard behind the scenes on a programme of work at the Churchgate Centre, including maintenance of existing premises and proactively filling the empty units," said Cllr Keith Hoskins, North Herts Council’s executive member for enterprise.

"We haven’t received any reports from tenants relating to concerns about the existence of RAAC in their premises to date.

"We encourage any businesses with concerns to contact us directly at churchgate.tenants@north-herts.gov.uk, so we that we can investigate and carry out surveys if deemed appropriate."

Hitchin's Churchgate shopping centre was built in 1971, and there has been plenty of talk about the future of the site.

North Herts Council purchased Churchgate in 2022, with consultations taking place about its regeneration.