'We need to evacuate you' shock as flats condemned

A woman living near an apartment block evacuated over safety fears said she was left shocked and distressed after being told to leave her home.

A 27m (88.5ft) exclusion zone has been put in place around the 64-unit Evolution Cove, in Durnford Street, Plymouth, after a fire service review said the building built in 2008, could collapse.

Karen Sweeting, who lives nearby at Emma Place, said: "It was just such a shock" to be evacuated on Friday evening.

In a letter, delivered to residents by Plymouth City Council, it said: "We know this will come as an unwelcome surprise, but we are asking you to leave your home immediately as we have major concerns about the safety of the Evolution Cove block."

The Evolution Cove building was vacated on the 20 March by Centrick, which manages the block, after structural concerns were identified relating to cracking within the concrete frame in the car park.

A council letter to residents on Friday evening said further assessments had found "a risk that the building could collapse".

"Because of this, we are putting an exclusion zone around the building as a precautionary measure to minimise the risk of injury to people walking or driving by," it said.

Sweeting, whose flat is in the exclusion zone, told BBC News: "A lady from the council said 'We need to evacuate you. This was about half past seven last night.

"It was just such a shock. I've got two cats. And I immediately thought, well, I won't be able to go into a hotel or anywhere because they won't take the cats. What can I do?"

She said she slept on her son's floor before arranging to move into a pet‑friendly hotel.

She said there was no choice but to leave because of how close her home is to the block.

"If that did start to crumble and fall to the ground, we are close enough that it would impact on to our building," she said. "So there was no choice, we had to leave."

Gary Walbridge, the council's strategic director for adults health and communities, said Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service had issued a prohibition order preventing anyone from entering the Evolution building after concerns people were still coming and going.

"Following a most recent assessment of the building, we were advised that there had been a change and a deterioration potentially in the condition of the building," he said.

"What we understand from the faults are that, should they be realised, that could be a whole or partial building collapse."

Council officers visited 13 nearby properties on Friday evening and temporary accommodation was offered to those who needed it, he said.

"We were door-knocking to the other residents, and we were having one-to-one conversations with them, updating them on the situation and the risks," said Walbridge.

He said some people accepted temporary accommodation, others made their own arrangements, while some were still deciding what to do.

Responsibility for fixing the building lies with its owners, who Mr Walbridge said had been "very proactive" and were working with the council.

"Whilst we would of course recognise the disruption that this will cause, the duty around public safety has to be our overriding factor here," he said.

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