Southern Housing releases statement following evacuation of Woking block of flats

Housing provider Southern Housing has released a statement after residents had to evacuate a block of flats in Woking.

Eastgate is a single block containing 61 homes in Woking.

Southern Housing said that they were advised by structural engineers last week that the building suffers from structural defects and is currently not safe to be occupied.

"We don't have all the answers yet, and we will work tirelessly to fully understand the extent of the structural issues in the building"

The block was initially owned under a leasehold interest by another housing provider, who sold their leasehold interest to Southern Housing in 2018. The current freehold owner is Centrium Freehold Limited.

Paul Hackett, who's the Chief Executive Officer of Southern Housing, said

“I want to express how sorry I am to residents that we have had to take this action. Our main priority is the safety of our residents, and we had no choice but to ask them to leave their homes on Friday (17 November). I want to stress that we’ve made this decision with our residents' well-being in mind, and we are doing everything we can to minimise the disruption.

I understand this news is distressing, and I empathise with everyone affected and I’m sorry for the uncertainty this will cause our residents. This is a complex situation, and we had to make a decision based on the new information available to us provided by our technical and legal advisors. We don't have all the answers yet, and we will work tirelessly to fully understand the extent of the structural issues in the building and what steps to take next.

We’ll continue to support our residents and help them navigate through this challenging time. We will work with residents to find alternative housing for everyone, and each resident will have a dedicated member of our team to ensure their specific needs are addressed, both now and in the future."

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