5.14.32 On 29th April 2016, the Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council replied to this letter. He reiterated that he had previously made it clear that he was requiring ESP to propose and implement a 'green' only solution and that he had thought that this had already been accepted by them. His letter contained the following sentence;
"The notion that the schools are safe to re-occupy other than in strong winds only has to be put down on paper to be seen as absurd and unacceptable..."
5.14.33 At the CIMT meeting on 29th April 2016, it was confirmed that structural reports had now been provided for all the Phase 1 schools but had not yet been received for all the Phase 2 schools. However, Galliford Try had indicated that they would be willing to provide the list of documentation set as a pre-requisite by the Council before any of the Phase 2 schools could re-open.
5.14.34 It was confirmed at the meeting that a Clerk of Works had been appointed by the City of Edinburgh Council to undertake, on behalf of the Council, inspections of the remedial work. The Clerk of Works would report through the structural engineers, Scott Bennett Associates, appointed to advise the Council.
5.14.35 As the work was already virtually complete on the Phase 2 schools, site inspections of the work done at these schools could only be in relation to what was visible of the additional secondary steelwork added. However, as the required work arising from the absence of the head restraints had not commenced on the Phase 1 schools by Amey, the Clerk of Works would be able to carry out more comprehensive site inspections as this work proceeded.
5.14.36 It was further reported that an issue had arisen in relation to the required structural reports on the remedial works. There had not been up to that point a written agreement on the part of the structural engineering firms as to the level of assurances they were being asked to provide in the required assurance documents and the wording thereof. In further meetings between the various parties the debate was subsequently resolved with agreement to a standard wording that was acceptable to both the City of Edinburgh Council and the structural engineering firms.
5.14.37 A set of the standard documentation, required to provide assurance as to the adequacy of the remedial works and the safety of the schools, including letters from the structural engineers involved, was ultimately provided for both the Phase 1 and Phase 2 schools after considerable legal analysis by the various parties. A set of this documentation as provided for the Oxgangs School, typical of those provided for all the schools, is attached as Appendix 2 to this Report.