Wicker Riverside: Sheffield apartment block part shut over fire safety fears

A prohibition notice was originally served on Wicker Riverside back in December 2020

People living in a Sheffield apartment block have had to move out of their homes while work is carried out to improve the building's fire escapes.

Residents on the upper floors of Wicker Riverside Apartments were told the work could compromise their safety.

Fire chiefs had previously warned all residents may have to leave if the issues were not addressed.

Building managers, Love Your Block, said "good progress" had been made but further closures may be needed.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service served a prohibition notice on the building in December, saying all resident would need to move out by the end of January if remedial work was not carried out.

It said work was needed to address issues around internal fire compartmentation - designed to stop a fire from spreading throughout a building - as well as inadequate smoke control arrangements and external cladding.

However, on Tuesday, people living on floors six to 10 of the 132-apartment building were told they would have to move out with immediate effect.

'Last resort'

Father-of-one Jack Eckhardt, who lives in the block, said he was told he had an hour to gather items before being removed from the building.

"It was a shock and it's been so stressful," he said.

"It's virtually impossible to do when you've got a six-year-old. I've managed to move in with the family, but I guess I'm technically homeless."

The fire service first served a prohibition notice on Wicker Riverside in 2020 after safety officials carried out inspections in the wake of the 2017 Grenfell fire, which killed 72 people.

The notice was removed after building manager Love Your Block implemented interim safety measures.

Speaking on 13 January, however, Assistant Chief Fire Officer Andy Strelczenie said it had been forced to reissue the notice as "previously identified issues with the building had not been resolved and interim measures which had been in place can no longer be considered interim".

He added: "Prohibiting the use of a building in this way is always a last resort, particularly when it will cause so much disruption to those living there.

"Ultimately though, the safety of the residents must come first. Our hearts go out to all those affected by this horrendous situation, but we simply cannot allow this unsafe situation to continue."

Love Your Block acts on behalf of WRLARA RTM, the company founded by leaseholders that claimed responsibility for running the building in October 2019 following frustrations with their landlord.

In a statement, they said: "We are disappointed that it was necessary to issue a prohibition notice to ensure that essential work was safely carried out at Wicker Riverside.

"We are encouraged by the recent actions of [building owners] Nine Group to fulfil their legal obligations under the leadership of their new Executive Director.

"They made good progress since the notice was issued, but a lack of detailed planning continues to cause concern.

"There may not be enough time left to complete the necessary work to prevent further closures."

It is understood that affected residents have been offered temporary accommodation by the council.

The BBC has attempted to contact Nine Group for a comment.