Uni building shut for 'foreseeable future' by rot

A NOTTINGHAM Trent University building which opened just five years ago will remain closed for the foreseeable future amid concerns it could collapse due to rot.

- By JOSHUA HARTLEY

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) was forced to close the Lyth Building at its Southwell Brackenhurst Campus in April last year after fears it could crumble.

The structure, which houses research laboratories for agricultural studies, teaching rooms and a 200-capacity lecture theatre, was only completed in 2020, and cost £11.5 million.

In 2022 it was named East Midlands Building of the Year by the Royal Institute of British Architects, with judges saying it had “raised the bar for future development”.

But it was closed after wet rot, caused by wood-destroying fungi, was found inside its timber sections. The building is currently boarded off.