Parts of Stamford Hospital, in Ryhall Road, Stamford, built with collapse-prone concrete can be demolished

Parts of hospital built with collapse-prone concrete can be demolished.

The Dronfield Suite, Greenwood Day Treatment Unit and the link corridor – which connects the two wards at Stamford Hospital, in Ryhall Road, Stamford – are to be demolished to remove reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

The North West Anglia NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, submitted two applications to South Kesteven District Council in September asking for permission for the demolition.

However, the planning officer said in a report that prior approval from the planning authority was not required.

In line with NHS England, the trust said it must remove all RAAC from the site by 2030 as it presents an ‘immediate risk to patient and staff safety’ and is therefore an ‘immediate priority’.

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RAAC is a lightweight, bubbly concrete that was commonly used in construction in the UK between the 1950s and 1990s.

Found in schools and hospitals across the country, RAAC can put buildings at risk of collapse as it ages.

The buildings on the wider hospital site vary in age from modern structures to 19th-century listed buildings, while the structures affected by RAAC date from the mid-20th century.

Dronefield Suite was build in 1973 and has been used as a surgical facility.

The link corridor connects the infirmary building, Greenwood Day Treatment Centre, Dronfield Suite and the Clay and Hurt Wards.

The trust has secured funding through the RAAC Programme, and as of September 10, there are 41 hospital sites with confirmed RAAC in the rolling national programme, which has been in place since 2021.

According to the government website, seven hospitals have had RAAC removed, and Stamford Hospital is on a list of 12 further sites on track to complete removals by the end of March 2026.