<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0zRYRG_0wPJ4OUe00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0zRYRG_0wPJ4OUe00" width="753" height="423" ><figcaption>Businesses and residents in Eastgate House were evacuated in November 2023 [Credit: Google] </figcaption></figure> Shop owners evacuated from a town centre tower block in Surrey nearly a year ago over safety concerns say they're worried about their businesses surviving. A <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c729g39eql7o?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bnewsbreak.com%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D" rel="nofollow"> prohibition order </a> was issued over the condition of Eastgate House in Woking in November 2023. Woking Borough Council (WBC) ordered ground floor businesses and a total of 100 tenants to leave the building after a structural report on concrete walls and ceilings. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> Builder Barratt Homes said it "needs structural testing in Eastgate before we can work out the best way forward". Hassan Malik, who runs Pearl Dry Cleaners, told BBC Radio Surrey: "They gave us just an hour to grab what we could and we had to leave. "We had to lock up our business and walk away. Our business just died, it is in ruins. "It is heart-breaking." Jinny Weller has run Pin Up Curls hairdressers for 17 years. She said: "I had a client at the door I had to turn away. It was very stressful. "We're just hoping from one month to the next that we're going to hear an update. "We are just left dangling. It has been an absolute nightmare." <h2> 'Prioritising thoroughness and safety' </h2><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> The upper residential floors are owned by Southern Housing Group, which was responsible for relocating more than 100 of its housing tenants to temporary or alternative accommodation. It said: "Our structural engineers are reviewing the results of ongoing tests at Eastgate to assess the building’s future. "Given the complexity of the situation, we’re prioritising thoroughness and safety." Barratt Homes said it had tested the concrete in two adjoining buildings which had been subject to notices and said it found them to be safe. Ann-Marie Barker, leader of Woking Borough Council, said: “I am deeply concerned for those individuals and families displaced." Follow BBC Surrey on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BBCSurrey/" rel="nofollow"> Facebook </a> , on <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCSurrey" rel="nofollow"> X </a> . Send your story ideas to <a href="mailto:southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk" rel="nofollow"> southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk </a> or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><h2> More on this story </h2><ul><li><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c729g39eql7o?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bnewsbreak.com%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D" rel="nofollow"> Tenants in emergency housing amid unsafe flats </a></li></ul><h2> Related internet links </h2><ul><li><a href="https://www.woking.gov.uk/" rel="nofollow"> Woking Borough Council </a></li></ul></div></body>

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'Our business just died, it is in ruins'

Businesses and residents have been unable to access Eastgate House since November 2023.

'Our business just died, it is in ruins'

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