People living in the 46 flats were given three months to leave after consultants decided the building might be dangerous in bad weather. Most have now left and those remaining have to be out by the end of next week.

The Caspar block of affordable homes was built five years ago for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which has now warned other organisations about using the pioneering flat pack building method.

It was built by the Japanese construction firm Kajima using the fashionable method in which each flat is pre-assembled in a factory and transported to the site flat-packed. The innovative process means buildings can be constructed very quickly.

Now Kajima is preparing to examine the flats, work out what the problems are and decide how to fix them.

Joseph Rowntree Foundation consultant Cedric Dennis said: “The consultants indicated that in high winds the building wasn’t safe. We had to move the people living there out and they were given notice in October and have to be out by January 14. On January 15 Kajima will move their people in and try and sort it out.”

Mr Dennis said that although such buildings were becoming more common, they were normally much smaller than the North Street block.

Since October the foundation has been moving residents into hotels when high winds are expected.

Foundation director Richard Best said: “Although a well-received development and very popular in other respects, the innovative method of construction for this development is creating serious difficulties.”

“The 46 flats in Leeds were built by the construction company Kajima using prefabricated apartments assembled in a factory and then put into place by cranes on site. This form of construction was very much at the cutting edge of new techniques and the results have been very disappointing indeed. The builders accept that the responsibility is theirs and that they must put everything right.”

Mr Best said the tenants would be compensated and encouraged to return once the defects were sorted out.