Reason for scaffolding on University of Lincoln’s The Gateway student accommodation

Scaffolding has been erected on a prominent student accommodation building in the city. Around 500 tenants at The Gateway on Ruston Way, Lincoln, were told in October 2022 that they must vacate within a week due to fire safety issues within the building.

The University of Lincoln accommodation building has been closed to students ever since. The evicted students, who were mainly in their first year and “distraught” at the time, were offered £500 each for the disruption it caused to their university experience.

It came after an independent fire safety assessment was carried out on The Gateway and a number of recommendations to improve fire safety were made. These included improvements to fire stopping and stairwells to enhance internal fire compartmentation.

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The offices at the bottom of the building remain in use while hundreds of apartments sit empty on the floors above. Initially, it was hoped that students would be able to move back in for the 2023/24 academic year but surveying work was only just taking place as the new cohort arrived.

Scaffolding has appeared around a large part of the building, with the university confirming that remedial works have now begun. A spokesperson for the University of Lincoln said: “The landlord has begun remedial works and will be keeping the university up-to-date with developments as the project continues.”

The university previously said that they are “hopeful” The Gateway can reopen as an option to students once work has been completed.

LincolnshireLive – Lincoln News