A SOUTHAMPTON building has escaped being named Britain’s worst new building.

The City Gateway student flats, nicknamed ‘the fag butt’ by local residents, was a runner-up in Building Design’s annual Carbuncle Cup, awarded to the worst piece of architecture in the UK.

The award itself was won by London’s ‘walkie talkie’ skyscraper, famously blamed for ‘melting’ a car parked outside.

City Gateway, a £23.5m, 15-storey tower, was built by Bouygues and sits at one of the busiest entrances to Southampton, at the junctions of Thomas Lewis Way and Stoneham Way.

It had been set to welcome its first intake of University of Southampton students last year, but instead it has stood empty after the builders missed the deadline to hand it over to the university so it could be fitted out.

Now, the City Gateway building is finally ready to welcome its first intake of students, a year later than intended it was supposed to.

Daily Echo:

A spokesman for the University of Southampton said: “We have taken occupation of City Gateway and are currently preparing the building for the first intake in September. There are over 350 bedrooms available.

"The main intake weekend is September 19 and 20 but we anticipating phasing arrivals with some pre-sessional and international students arriving on or around September 8 with the remainder on the main intake weekend.”