There are concerns over the wellbeing of students who were forced to leave a Newcastle housing block that was deemed a fire hazard.
Residents of the Rialto Building, near Northumbria University’s city campus, had to be evacuated on Tuesday after fire bosses served a prohibition notice on it because of safety concerns. The city’s council leader has been questioned about where the students who live there are being rehoused, as one councillor claimed that the displaced occupants were “offered a church floor to sleep on”.
However, it has since been denied that any students did sleep at the neighbouring City Church on Melbourne Street.
Read More: Residents evacuated from Newcastle block of flats over fire safety concerns
The Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service announced on Tuesday night that it was serving a prohibition notice on sections of the Rialto apartments because of “immediate concerns around the safety of residents”. That has meant that an unconfirmed number of residents have been asked to leave the premises until remedial work can be carried out to make the building safe.
Blakelaw councillor Linda Hobson told a meeting of Newcastle City Council’s overview and scrutiny committee on Thursday that the local authority had a responsibility to look after students and asked city Labour leader Nick Kemp what longer-term accommodation was being arranged. Coun Kemp said that the local authority had been contacted by numerous parents who were “understandably concerned” about the situation and said the council was “doing everything in our power” to help.
After Coun Hobson had raised the issue of students being offered a church floor to sleep on, Coun Kemp did say that the City Church was used as “temporary accommodation”. However, the church and the council then denied on Friday that anyone had actually slept there – with the local authority saying instead that it was used as a temporary base as people were being evacuated but nobody stayed overnight.
Coun Kemp added on Thursday: “We have stressed at this point to the landlord and the owner that they have a duty of care and wellbeing to their tenants. My optimism is that they have a desire to fulfil the remedial works because they wish to make commercial activity.
"But we are working with the fire authority and the police around keeping an eye and we are mindful… there are conversations through our officer team around potential alternative accommodation if the landlord is not able to find it.”
It is understood that students from both Northumbria and Newcastle universities lived at the building.
The company which manages the Rialto block, Kingston Property Services, said: “Kingston is engaged in providing day to day management services at the development, but are not engaged to manage the fire remediation issues or deal with the temporary accommodation of the students as separate organisations are engaged to do this. All property owners have been issued with information regarding arrangements for the temporary accommodation.
"The welfare of residents is our paramount concern, and ensuring their safety is our top priority. We will continue to communicate with owners and residents to ensure they are updated once we know the extent of remedial works and the next steps are confirmed."
The Insurance Claims Accommodation Bureau (ICAB) is understood to be arranging temporary accommodation for Rialto residents and was contacted for a comment.
Both of the city’s universities said they were unaware of any students having slept on a church floor.
A spokesman for Northumbria University said: “Some of our students live in this building and we have been supporting them in making alternative accommodation arrangements while remedial work is carried out by the property owner. This included providing rooms within one of our halls of residence for those who needed somewhere to stay on a short-term basis. We are not aware of any instances of any of our students staying overnight at the church.”
A Newcastle University spokesperson added that it too was “working with the property management company and developers involved in the Rialto Building to ensure alternative accommodation for those affected”.
They said: “We are not aware of any instances of any of our students staying overnight at a church. Any Newcastle University student who would like support regarding the Rialto Building situation should contact student services.”
