Loch Rannoch Highland Club Forums

Hi
Having seen the Weather Forecast for temperatures ranging from Minus 17 down to Minus 30 in the Rannoch/Perthshire Area this week, I was wondering how anyone staying at LRHC is managing with heating their Lodge to a comfortable temperature?I
Ronnie

Its been a cold snap alright and suffice to say I’ve not been near LRHC , being a warm weather visitor.
I rarely need the heating on in June.
I would imagine however that the lodges will be warm enough but can’t imagine how much a week’s electricity would come to at this time

As I've said in the past, our Lodge is so damp we often have to put the C.H. on even in the 'summer' to attempt to dry it out, however we had a quite an unexpected update on this situation following the AGM when we had a long discussion with Richard Deak about the extreme dampness in the down stairs bedrooms and the foul smell permeating the Lodge resulting in us being unable to have our summer week's holiday in 2024 as the beds themselves were so damp and the smell so nauseating.
Following intensive investigations by Richard into the cause which, in the past, Committee Member, Margaret Griffith, had said she investigated and could find 'No Dampness' which was ludicrous given the very curtains and carpets had rotted away! Richard took the investigation seriously and discovered within the Foundations of the Lodge piles of foul smelling rubble and rubbish never removed from original build; a huge hole had been created in the Floor directly under the Bath as the Floor Boards rotted away, I'm pretty sure a person could have passed through this hole from Bathroom into Foundation area, it was so massive! All the original Foam Insulation had also rotted away as had the Bath Panel; Floor covering; Carpets in downstair Bedrooms; Matresses ALL rotted away with the dampness! Richard had videod this for us to view and then showed us the remedial work carried out by Club Maintenance Staff. New matresses; downstairs carpets; bath panel will all replace rotted ones which hopefully will remove the foul smell. Moisture Meters are being installed to keep track and ensure Dampness levels continue to be eradicated! So well done Richard Deak, he listened when others just fobbed us off with blatant lies!
Ronnie

This particular issue has been present, I believe in a number of lodges over the years.
The void under the lodges has hidden multiple issues.

My old lodge had similar issues as have others.

To be told it had been investigated and no dampness by the ex committee member is not unexpected either.

There has however been a history of so called investigations supposedly taken place, but had never happened and unfortunately was believed by those in management.
Investigations of this magnitude are long overdue and I hope the asbestos survey was completed in December which i mentioned to Richard over 2 years ago and lodges have been checked for RAAC?

RAAC ! Now that would be a game changer if present in the development. I originally left the area prior to the development being created in 1974 but RAAC was still commonly used in new developments in that era.
I don’t however recall RAAC being mentioned before at LRHC and it usually refers to use in flat roofs although not exclusively. I think that if there was RAAC it there would be records of it in papers held in files down at the portacabin.
At the moment in the East of Scotland there are several hundred home owners and tenants facing the possibility of homelessness and bankruptcy due to unsafe housing due to RAAC which is now 25 years past the 40 year life expectancy of the material.
If there were any RAAC affected lodges, I’d expect these to be the studio apartments but hopefully there’s none affected

Richard,over to you.

Have the lodges and in particular studios and apartments been inspected for RAAC?

Also what was the outcome of the asbestos report?

Can there be a reply to the question asked on 17/01/25 on this forum Richard?

The hub in newsletter seemed more important to you rather than the condition of the lodges.

I wonder why???

One would have thought that there would be a definitive answer to the question: “ is there RAAC present in the construction of any of the lodges” ?
I personally do not know the answer but someone at LRHC must know the answer

I don't think the question is particularly hard to answer and when you have management on massive salaries which in my opinion is not justified, simple factual and honest answers should be a given.

Its a reasonable question and one for which there must be a definitive answer.
I did notice the jaw dropping wages bill for the portakabin team in the figures produced at the AGM.
I wonder if anyone else picked up on that ?
Might even apply for a job.
My credentials are quite good and credibility’s not in doubt.
Who should I send my CV to ?

Personally, I feel if such a simple question CANNOT be answered, maybe some are in the wrong job.
It is owners, and I hate saying this,that pay the wages for this mediocrity.
There have been staff at the Club sacked or made redundant for less.

All that is required is a truthful answer and they have been in short supply.

The answer to the " catch 22 " post Richard is much longer than the answer to the question asked here.

So what is there to hide by not giving a straight answer of Yes or No?

While there’s clearly a catch 22, this must then be the million dollar question presumably.
If there was RAAC present then a structural engineer would obviously need to be paid to do a survey and report back and a risk assessment done urgently for safety reasons.
In much of the RAAC affected houses in Aberdeen the solution is for demolition of the affected properties with all the resultant issues for owners and tenants which goes with that.
LRHC hopefully is not affected at all but it would be good for owners to have clarification on the question which has been raised.
Even a brief statement from Committee would be good

I asked the GM over 18 months ago whether asbestos was present in the lodges and whether an inspection had taken place.
The reason why I asked this was due to a family bereavement which was caused by asbestos.
I would not wish any other person to experience what harm asbestos can do.
At same time I asked about RAAC as this was becoming a major issue in developments of a similar age throughout Scotland and has continued to this day.

I was told that the site had been inspected and there were no issues.
At the AGM I asked whether the site had been inspected for asbestos to learn that a survey was apparently taking place in December which I would assume was on the Otter block, prior to refurbishments.
We, as owners have never seen the results of this survey and if any asbestos was present whether contained or not.

The bigger issue for me is that I was apparently lied to/ misled by the GM and this is unforgiveable as no such asbestos survey had taken place it would appear.
I would also hazard a wild guess and suggest that no RAAC investigation had taken place either.

I will wait for the excuses for the reason that such a callous and potentially costly lie occurred, but for me, it only leads to one conclusion- the manager must consider his position.

Goodness that’s truly shocking because there is no grey area. A RAAC / asbestos survey has either been completed or it has not. An unqualified guy from the pub giving it the once over does not fulfill the criteria for an asbestos or RAAC survey either and qualified persons would cost many thousands of pounds in a development the size of LRHC.
I do not remember seeing anything in the accounts produced at the AGM which refered to the cost of a proper survey for these potential building hazards.
As a rough guide a block of 4 flats in general housing are being quoted £2000 + for a structural engineer’s survey for RAAC.
So what might be the truth, does anyone know ?
Does anyone even care ?

I understand that frustrations can run high, but I’d like to remind everyone of the forum’s purpose: to facilitate respectful discussion. The club is committed to transparency, and we will provide factual updates as soon as we have definitive answers. Personal attacks and inflammatory language do not contribute to a productive discussion. If any member has concerns or feels information is lacking, I encourage you to contact the office directly rather than relying on assumptions.

Thank you to those who have raised these issues in good faith. We are working to ensure all owners have confidence in the condition of their lodges and the actions taken to maintain them.

Richard,

I have not seen any inflammatory language or personal attacks on here.

The truth or transparency is all that is sought and from what you have intimated, what has been stated previously, appears not to be the case.
So if something said in a reply to a question is not true, what do you call it?

When a person in a position of authority tells you that those inspections took place over 18 months ago, you would expect this to be a " factual update" and to learn there is apparently no " definitive answer" as yet is definitely not now an assumption, but a statement of fact in relation to what has been said on this forum.
So from what has been answered by you would appear to be a No to the question and deserving of a reason why it was a different answer over 18 months ago?
This is why frustration creeps in and why feelings run high.

And for the record,I asked the original question in good faith as well as totally realise the condition of the lodges and the action taking place will improve confidence in the Club.

Hi all

The Committee always welcomes comments on here because its important that we here the views of all Members, whether at Welcome Meetings, private messages to the GM or us, and of course the Forum. Sometimes on here we receive suggestions that are impossible to deliver. For instance some Members want the continuation of the Leisure Agreement whereas others don't. I said at the AGM that we have to sometimes make decisions which will please some but disappoint others and the Leisure Deal is typical.

But an important factor on here is that Members should be respectful to others and staff and not personalise posts towards them. It is OK to say that the Club has done the right or the wrong thing but not that a particular person has done wrong. I am relying on the decency of posters (who on this Forum are all Members) and the Committee are determined that this will be respected. In conclusion we are not acting George Orwell style to control free speech but merely asking for decency.

Best wishes to all from the Board,
John Hirst

It's now good to see acknowledged that there appears to be no RAAC onsite at the club officially and in writing.

What about asbestos?

This honesty and transparency will hopefully help improve confidence in the Club.
It can be contagious in a positive way?