Serious fire safety concerns at the development led to 36 families moving into temporary emergency accommodation
After conducting fire safety checks at One The Brayford on Brayford Wharf North in Lincoln, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) issued a prohibition notice on 25 April for the entire residential area of the building.
In a statement released by Lincolnshire County Council, it stated that there was “nothing to suggest a fire is more likely, but if one were to break out, it would spread quickly throughout the building, the fire alarm system is insufficient, and fire officials are not confident that everyone would have enough time to escape.”
Whilst the notice has no legal powers to make residents leave the building, LFRS recommended that they not stay in the building. Dan Moss, Area Manager at LFRS, said:
“We appreciate that this is a worrying time for those living and staying in these flats, but our primary concern is always the safety of the public.
“Once we understood the extent of the fire risks at One The Brayford, we were left with no option but to advise individuals of the risks, and recommend they leave while we work with the building owners to make sure it is fully safe.”
The prohibition notice detailed evidence of combustible external wall systems on the building that, should a fire take hole, could allow it to spread rapidly on the external faces of the building and then spread internally. It also noted insufficient "fire resisting separation and compartmentation" between bedrooms and the means of escape.
The lack of a sufficiently adequate fire detection and warning system would mean that in the event of a fire, residents "would be likely to be overcome by the effects of heat and or smoke before they could make their escape".
The building was constructed between 2016 and 2019 at a reported cost of £15 million and contains 89 flats, with retail and restaurant space on the ground floor which was unaffected by the prohibition notice
Speaking about the impact the evacuation has had on those effected, MP for Lincoln, Hamish Falconer, said: "I'm calling on the management agents, RMG, and everybody associated with the building to do everything that they can to make sure that Lincoln residents can get back into this building."
A spokesperson for RMG said: “The focus now is to establish what work must be completed to enable residents to return to their homes. The safety of the residents is our number one priority, and we will continue to support them through this difficult period.”
Residents were told to prepare to be out of the building for at least seven days.