The Edinburgh flats living in the shadow of Trainspotting

BBC News

13-02-2025

When tour buses drove past the Banana Flats on the way to Edinburgh's Port of Leith, guides with microphones would describe it as the "Trainspotting building".Cables Wynd House gets a passing mention as the childhood home of Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson in Irvine Welsh's 1993 novel, but for modern tenants, issues are far from fictional.They have accused City of Edinburgh Council of breaching their human rights over the condition of the A-listed block, citing damp, mould, pests and broken lifts ahead of a delayed "retrofit" due to start next year.The authority says the multi-million pound investment will "address concerns" but residents are sceptical and worry the building's fearsome reputation means they have been "forgotten".
The Cables Wynd House Residents Group presented a report to the council last month.They said rights including the right to adequate housing, children's rights and the rights of people with disabilities were being breached by the condition of the building.All but four of the 212 flats in the block, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, are owned by the council.The bus tours have now halted their stop outside the flats after complaints from tenants.
Kirsty Chatwood said the notoriety of the building meant residents' voices "were not listened to".Ms Chatwood, 48, experienced severe issues with black mould in her flat from a botched bathroom repair.She said the block "did not deserve" its reputation."Because of Trainspotting and the reputation of the building, we are not respected, our voices are not respected," she said."We're seen as all being drug addicts, like we all have ASBOs, when in fact we are basically a small village."If the refurbishment goes through, if they fix everything they say they are going to fix; the building is going to be amazing, but promises here are rarely kept".
Tenants have also complained about anti-social behaviour, drug use and human waste in communal stairwells.Some are scared to use any of the four "creaking and claustrophobic" lifts in the building due to "violent shaking" and fears of becoming trapped inside.But they also claim there is a "severe lack of accountability" when it comes to requesting work to be carried out by Repairs Direct, the council's in-house maintenance service.Stacey Panda spent six years fighting to have her daughter's bedroom replastered after discovering black mould covering parts of the wall and floor.Ms Panda, 37, said she noticed the "smell of damp" when she moved in to her flat in 2015.
She was forced to sleep on a mattress in her living room with her youngest daughter for several months until the issue was eventually resolved in 2021.But by then, mould had been found on the legs of her daughter's cot, in a wardrobe and a box of family memories including pictures and outfits worn by her two children.She said she was "repeatedly dismissed" by the council during that process and given incorrect advice on how to deal with the problem.She said: "There has been a lot of times where I feel I have failed my kids."My youngest refuses to go in the lift because she was trapped in one for a short period once. The noise absolutely terrifies both my children and we hear it all the time."It feels like they are banking on the retrofit fixing every single problem, but how? How are they going to ensure that? There has been nothing that makes us feel comfortable about it."
A street in the sky
The flats were seen as an innovative solution to Edinburgh's post-war housing challenges when they were completed in 1965.Properties are accessed by open decks, inspired by similar housing schemes in France, which aimed to mimic the experience of living on a tenemented street in the sky.Their unique, curved architecture, designed to make use of limited space, earned them the "banana flats" nickname.In 2017, they were given category A-listed status by Historic Environment Scotland as a leading example of Scottish brutalism.
Allan Mackie said there was a "community" around the flats when he and late wife Betty first moved there in 1968.Mr Mackie, 80, said two bus-loads of families from the block, including their three sons, would leave for a trip to Butlins in Ayr every summer.But he said that had been lost as the condition of the flats was allowed to deteriorate.He has been plagued by problems with mice, which he believes stem from a kitchen refit in 2011.
He said broken window seals have also left his bedroom "like an igloo" at night.On Mr Mackie's landing, a two-foot (60cm) long crack in the wall and a window held in place by duct tape mean it regularly floods when it rains.He has also repeatedly complained about rusting, corroded metalwork and plaster in stairwells peeling off the walls.Mr Mackie said he has "no faith" in the planned refurbishment."The retrofit is a waste of time," he said."As far as we are concerned, the council is non-existent. They talk about the retrofit like it is the be all and end all. But in the meantime, the building is just allowed to fall apart."It is like the council are trying to ignore us into submission."
The council is due to meet the residents' group on 27 February to issue an official response to their report, compiled with the help of Inspiring Leith, part of the Bethany Christian Trust.Hannah Kirby, community development worker at Inspiring Leith, said the issues were affecting residents' health.She said: "The work residents have done is incredible, we just wish they didn't have to spend so much time campaigning for adequate housing in the first place."
The retrofit project, which was due to get under way this year, will see a new heating system installed and new kitchens fitted.Roofs, foyer areas, entrances, fire doors, stairwells and communal landings will also be upgraded.Lift upgrades and repairs were not included in the original retrofit plans until the group pressured the council.Three of the building's four lifts will now be replaced as part of the project, but that will take a year to complete.The council's housing convener, Lezley Marion Cameron, said: "We are committing a significant investment of £69m in Cables Wynd House to address the concerns of our tenants, as set out in this report."Our commitment to our tenants is to make sure everyone is kept informed about when the works start and importantly, what it means for them."Our priority as a council and as a landlord must be and is that all our tenants have a safe, comfortable, and well-maintained home."