A council’s headquarters will be unusable for more than two years until it’s made safe, costing £20 million - but despite questions from residents, councillors say it’s the right choice.

An update on the situation around Medway Council’s closed HQ Gun Wharf revealed a full understanding of the state of the problems won’t be achieved until the end of this financial year.

The work to remove the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), which was discovered in October, will then take 18 months to complete - however, this will also include refurbishment works to make the building more of a public-friendly space.

At the cabinet meeting, the authority’s portfolio holder for housing and property, Cllr Naushabah Khan (Lab) said the sudden demand for RAAC specialists, as the issues with the concrete in public buildings built between the 1950s and 1990s grabbed national headlines, meant delays for getting the building on Dock Road in Chatham sorted.

She also said that all options had been considered when deciding what to do in response to the problems with Gun Wharf, including the selling of the building and finding a new HQ.

She said: “We recognise the financially challenging situation we are in as a council but taking forward the decision on Gun Wharf took into account a lot of the wider context, a real analysis of what’s on offer more widely and how realistic it would be not to use that building any longer, and that was the basis of taking that decision forward.

“We will do everything we can as a council to ensure wherever possible we are doing the right thing for the public in Medway.

“It’s going to take this financial year to do that deeper dive into survey work that is needed.

“As I’m sure people will understand, the issue with RAAC is relatively new in the context of building maintenance and people are still playing catch up in terms of recognising the level of work that is required to ensure buildings are safe and proper for use.

“It will then take approximately 18 months to complete those works after that stage.”

She added she would keep colleagues and the public updated as things progress.

Deputy council leader Teresa Murray (Lab) voiced her support for the update and said many residents had questioned her about the decision taken in February to borrow £20 million to solve the RAAC issue in Gun Wharf.

However she said when she explained the importance of a public-facing building which was safe for residents and council workers they understood and supported the investment.

She said: “I don’t shrink from the fact that people will see a contradiction in making an investment like this at a time when money is tight and we’ve got lots of things to do.

“But it’s an investment in the future to keep our staff safe and in decent working conditions and making sure all the public who use our buildings, particularly Gun Wharf but others as well, have a safe and enjoyable experience - to me that’s what public services are about.

“I’m really grateful to the staff because we’ve only got about a third of the people actually able to work in Gun Wharf, everybody else having to work in different places, being displaced, doing hybrid working, being extremely generous and co-operative with space.”

RAAC became national news in September last year when schools across the country were closed because of fears that buildings might be unsafe.

Parts of Gun Wharf were found to have RAAC in October, leaving it with limited available space, forcing many council staff to work remotely.

in February, Medway Council’s cabinet considered a number of possible options for dealing with the Grade II-listed building.

These included selling the property and relocating, but officers said retaining and renovating the current HQ was the most cost-effective option.

The council has borrowed £20 million to remove the RAAC, saying it aims to make the building safe, and update the building so it can operate more efficiently as a place for the public to interact with the authority.