'The council neglected our home - now they want to knock it down'

When Westfield Court welcomed its first residents in 1952, it was seen as an innovative blueprint for solving Edinburgh's post-war housing shortage.

Almost 75 years later, the Gorgie monolith's future is at the centre of a row between the local authority and those who call it home.

City of Edinburgh Council say the condition of the building means repairs are no longer viable and want to demolish it in favour of new social housing.

But residents have accused the council of neglecting their duty as factors of the eight-storey block and want them to invest in improvements.

A report to the council's housing committee at the start of December put the cost of carrying out "essential repairs" at about £15.4m.

It described that figure as "abortive" and instead recommended the council – who are minority owners - should buy back homes from residents to pursue demolition.

Architecture student Iftikhar Ali, 19, has lived on the second floor of the building with his parents since he was born.

Mr Ali, whose family own their three-bedroom flat, recalled "constant issues" with the communal heating system which left them without hot water for days.

But he said their complaints to the council often went unanswered.

"We have asked the council for multiple repairs, to see them ignore it and all of a sudden tell us it is time to demolish it because repairs haven't been done. It feels a bit hypocritical," he said.

"Whenever we complained, you either got no response, or you got one and they did nothing."

The local authority owns 32 of the 94 flats in the building, with the rest in the hands of private owners and landlords.

The council would need to acquire a majority of homes to proceed with the demolition.

But Mr Ali said that could leave some families struggling in Edinburgh's ultra-competitive market.

"We have a three-bedroom flat. If you want to buy that in Edinburgh, you need over £300,000," he said.

"If the council are only willing to pay less than that, that doesn't seem fair."

Westfield Court was one of the first purpose-built, fully council-owned multi-storey flat blocks built in Edinburgh after World War Two.

At one stage, the entire eighth floor was given over to a nursery school with capacity for about 80 children, complete with a guard rail and rooftop playground.

A building survey report in June 2025 found the pipes which carry waste from the flats were "beyond repair," with some residents experiencing sewage leaking into their homes.

Others reported severe issues with leaks from an outdated boiler.

Dimitrios Kampouris, 46, bought his flat in Westfield Court six years ago while a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh.

At one stage, he had water leaking through the light fittings in his bathroom.

But he claimed the council were obstructive when he called a plumber in to rectify the issue, resulting in him having to call in the fire service.

He said: "When I called the council, they told me to deal with it myself because I was a private owner, but when I called in the plumber, they wouldn't let him into a communal area where the boiler was kept.

"I had to call the fire brigade. This happened twice and it was tripping all my electrics. It was only when I said to the council that I was going to go to the media, because this was a fire risk that they responded."

City of Edinburgh Council said it had no record of a repair being requested by Mr Kampouris.

The local authority added it would never refuse access to restricted areas of the building and had a duty to ensure only "competent persons or organisations" were granted entry to "higher risk areas".

The council has said demolishing and redeveloping the site would allow them to "increase the amount of social housing" available.

They added tenants would be offered the option to return to the area once it is complete.

A vote at a meeting of the housing committee last week was disrupted by residents.

It eventually resulted in plans for demolition being voted down while housing officers investigate issues raised by the proposals.

John Butcher, 60, said he was "not optimistic" their findings would lead to a long-term U-turn in the local authority's position.

Mr Butcher, who moved to Westfield Court in 2003, said he feared for some of his neighbours if they were displaced.

He said: "Some of the people here are vulnerable. The council say they will find them accommodation, but what does that translate to? Some B&B in a rundown part of the city?

"There is still life left in this building. There is still a community here and it would be nice if the council looked at better options for us rather than turning their backs on a situation that is of their own cause."

All the residents BBC Scotland News spoke to are members of the Living Rent union.

Housing convener Tim Pogson said the council would do everything it could to support residents through the process.

He said: "I recognise that this remains a worrying time for owners and residents. Specialist officers continue to be on site at Westfield Court to offer support and guidance as needed.

"There is no simple solution, given the complex ownership structure and the processes required for decision-making, but I remain committed to ensuring that residents are supported as fully as possible."