For weeks, the silence around Evolution Cove was broken only by the hum of generators, the clatter of fencing in the wind and the steady stream of residents arriving to collect another bag from homes they feared they might never properly return to.
Now, after months of uncertainty, people are finally crossing back through the cordons carrying suitcases, houseplants and shopping bags instead of questions.
The exclusion zone around Evolution Cove is to be lifted overnight after both Plymouth City Council and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service deemed the building safe enough for residents to return.
A meeting took place between the building owners, engineers, council structural experts and the fire and rescue service to discuss remediation work carried out at the site.
The work involved installing props within the underground car park, followed by a short period of monitoring to assess stability. The council’s independent structural experts later reviewed a report provided by Clancy, the structural engineers, to verify the findings.
As a result, the council’s Section 77 Order and the fire service’s Prohibition Notice have both been lifted, meaning Evolution Cove residents can return home.
Plymouth City Council evacuated 14 households on the night of Friday, April 17 after an exclusion zone was put in place around the waterfront development when cracks were discovered in structural support beams beneath the building.
From this evening, teams have begun dismantling fencing, cones, cabling and traffic management systems surrounding Durnford Street. Officials said they hoped the area would be fully reopened by 8am tomorrow morning.
For residents, however, the physical barriers were only part of the ordeal.
For Morgan Rees and Libby, returning home was less a dramatic moment than a slow exhale after weeks of living out of bags and waiting for answers.
“It is really nice to be home now,” Morgan said.
“It is a bit of a rush to get back in, but it is really nice being home. It is all we have wanted for the last five or six weeks now. Just getting everything back in and trying to get everything back on track, basically.”
Like many residents, the pair had spent weeks caught in uncertainty after the evacuation.
“It was a bit like being in limbo, to be honest, because nobody was communicating with us,” Morgan said.
“We never really knew where we stood. We still have not had any compensation for the money that we have spent on rent, utilities and buying furniture that we needed while staying with family.
“It has just been a lack of communication really. That is the main thing. But being back now is all we could really ask for.”
Nearby, signs of sudden absence still lingered. Neglected gardens had grown wild behind barriers. Parcels remained stacked in communal areas. Some residents returned cautiously, while others appeared determined to reclaim normality as quickly as possible.
One resident, Dave, described the upheaval as particularly difficult for his family because he had been working abroad when the evacuation happened.
“It was quite difficult when that happened,” he said.
“I was away working in a different country, so only my wife was here with two kids. It was quite difficult for my wife to look after the children and move everything to a different place.”
Asked how it felt to return, he smiled.
“We feel really comfortable and we are really, really happy,” he said.
“It is the best place. It is your own home really.”
Glenn Caplin-Grey, strategic director for growth at Plymouth City Council, said officials understood the disruption caused to residents and businesses across the Stonehouse peninsula.
“We know this has not been an easy time for anyone – the residents of Evolution Cove, their neighbours who had to leave their homes and the residents and businesses of the wider Stonehouse peninsula,” he said.
“We would just like to say thank you for bearing with us.”
While residents are now being allowed back into their homes, questions remain over compensation, temporary accommodation costs and how long permanent repairs to the building will take.
The owners of Evolution Cove said engineers would now begin work on a long-term solution.
A spokesperson for the building owners said: “Our focus is on ensuring this is carried out as safely and comprehensively as possible.”
For now though, amid the movement of taxis, suitcases and reunited neighbours, the mood around Evolution Cove has shifted from anxiety to relief.
After weeks of waiting outside the fences, residents are finally stepping back through their own front doors.
