Officers of both PA Housing and Elmbridge Housing recently met with Cllr Judy Sarsby at Bramcote House, Weybridge, and agreed to allow Ukrainian evacuees to live in the building temporarily. This was a welcome decision that has offered stability to many families who travelled to Elmbridge to escape war in Ukraine. Sadly Bramcote is one of the three social housing buildings in Weybridge destined for demolition by PA Housing and replacement with primarily shared ownership properties. Work has started on St Catherine’s in Beales Lane, and Bramcote and Kemble Houses are due for demolition later this year.

The decision by PA Housing to replace social housing with shared ownership properties, designated as affordable housing, is a concern to local councillors who believe shared ownership housing in Weybridge, where prices are high, is actually unaffordable to key workers. The decisions by PA to replace these buildings were no doubt made before the perfect storm of Brexit/Covid/Ukrainian war and therefore do not reflect the current needs of the town. With the planned rebuilding of medical services on the hospital site with increased capacity and therefore more staff, we need key workers and the stability that secured housing offers to them. Cllr Sarsby is working with EBC to consider options for the future of key workers and Ukrainians in Weybridge.