Bailiffs have evicted student occupiers from the University of Brighton’s Pavilion Parade building in Old Steine after being granted a possession order by the High Court.
Students occupied the disused university building for 17 days in protest at academic redundancies, until bailiffs recovered possession of the building on Thursday, 5 October.
To stop people climbing over railings to enter the building, 10-foot high wooden boards were installed and security staff were posted outside the building.
Students claimed they were being barricaded in, but the university says there was always a gap in the fencing and the students were free to leave at any time.
A notice of possession order from the High Court was posted outside the university’s Cockcroft building, saying that the University of Brighton was granted a Possession Order on Tuesday, 3 October.
A University of Brighton spokesperson said: “In the early hours of Monday, 18 September, a group of individuals gained entry to the university’s Pavilion Parade premises, setting off security alarms in the process.
“Notwithstanding the unlawful nature of this act, the safety of the occupants at Pavilion Parade was the university’s paramount concern throughout.
“Our staff remained in regular contact with them to check on their wellbeing, allow delivery of supplies, and briefed them on the risks associated with the building which is in the process of being decommissioned.
“Our actions were supported throughout by advice from both Sussex Police and East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service.
“A possession order was granted to the university on 3 October and bailiffs recovered possession of the building soon after.”
The students, who also said they were homeless, had hoped to “reclaim” the building as a community space through their occupation.
Teaching by the School of Humanities and Social Science in the building was relocated to Mithras House on the university’s Moulsecoomb campus at the start of the new academic year.
Homeless students? How is that possible when there are masses of buildings for student accommodation in Brighton? Unless they have been chucked out for disobeying the rules.
It was clearly a tactic Hendrick, gosh you really need to stop taking everything so literally, ha.
I assume you know this but student accommodation isn’t free. It isn’t even cheap. Students tend to be in a very precarious set of financial circumstances and those who have no recourse to the bank of Mum and Dad can become homeless very easily.
Very true. Mine was painful. Although, messing up your loan to such an extent that you didn’t budget your rent is a bit silly.