40-minute walk for a shower: a new twist at troubled Evolution Cove apartments

Residents of Plymouth's troubled Evolution Cove apartments face weeks without heating or hot water after engineers uncovered serious gas defects, just days after they were finally allowed back into a building once deemed at risk of collapse.

For the exhausted residents of Evolution Cove, the nightmare was supposed to be ending.

After weeks in limbo, forced from their homes amid fears the Stonehouse apartment block could collapse, people were finally told they could return after engineers installed emergency supports and authorities deemed the building safe enough to reoccupy.

Instead, many now find themselves confronting a new crisis: no heating, no hot water, and no indication of when normal life will resume.

In a letter sent to residents on Tuesday, managers revealed that serious defects have been discovered within the building's gas infrastructure, raising fresh questions about the condition of the development and leaving hundreds facing an uncertain summer without basic household services.

The latest blow comes after what has already been one of Plymouth's most extraordinary residential emergencies in recent memory.

Evolution Cove was evacuated in March after structural concerns were identified within the building's underground car park. In April, Plymouth City Council imposed a 27-metre exclusion zone around the site amid fears that part of the building could collapse, forcing nearby residents from their homes and bringing parts of Stonehouse to a standstill.

Although residents were finally permitted to return last week after stabilisation works were completed, the building's problems sadly appear far from over.

According to the latest communication, engineers successfully restored the incoming gas supply to the building over the weekend. However, further inspections uncovered defects in pipework and systems serving individual apartments.

The letter states that some problems appear linked to "historic maintenance issues", while others seem to stem from defects dating back to the building's original construction and installation.

Crucially, engineers say those faults must be rectified before gas can safely be restored to individual homes.

Residents have now been told every apartment must be inspected this week so engineers can establish the full scale of the problem and develop a programme of repairs.

The Beagle has learned the problems include:

• corroded gas pipework and fittings delapidated
• gas meters not safely fixed to walls
• flues exhausting into balconies

No timescale has been provided for when gas services will be restored.

The consequences are immediate and deeply personal.

Without gas, many residents are left without hot water and heating. To wash, they have been directed to use facilities at The Hub at Foulston Park, a round-trip journey that can take some people up to 40 minutes on foot.

For elderly residents, families with young children, people with disabilities or those without access to a car, the prospect of trekking across the city simply to take a shower has sparked anger and disbelief.

Adding to frustrations, building managers have confirmed that temporary accommodation arrangements will not be extended because of the gas issues.

Residents who have only recently returned after weeks of disruption have effectively been told they must remain in their homes despite the lack of hot water, while making their own arrangements for day-to-day necessities.

The revelation raises further questions about the condition of a development that has already become synonymous with crisis.

What began as concerns about structural integrity has now widened into concerns about essential services and the quality of infrastructure hidden behind apartment walls.

For residents, the technical explanations matter less than the daily reality.

Many spent weeks displaced from their homes. Some faced uncertainty over whether they would ever return - indeed some still refuse to do so. For those who have finally crossed their own front door thresholds again, they find themselves unable to run a hot bath, take a hot shower or rely on a functioning gas supply.

Some residents are questioning whether it is lawful to keep them living in the block without basic facilities - and are criticising Plymouth Council for making them return to the block.

We've asked MP Luke Pollard, and the three ward councillors, for their response and suggestions - and will report back when we hear from them.

The immediate danger of collapse may have passed.

But for those living at Evolution Cove, normality feels a long way off.

Are you affected - or do you have a comment? Click here to contact The Beagle