Edinburgh's Westfield Court: Warning of 'dystopia in middle of Gorgie' if council walks away from problem flats

The council, which owns 32 of the 94 flats in the eight-storey block, had started making offers to owners in a bid to buy back all the properties so it could then proceed to demolish the block. But it halted the process after Historic Environment Scotland said the building was likely to be given listed status. And a report to the council's housing committee said if that happened, council officers would seek to divest from the building, selling off the flats it owned.

But independent councillor Ross McKenzie, who sits with the Green group, told the committee on Monday the flats could then go to landlords who did not maintain them to minimum standards.

He said: "There are landlords in the building taking close to £2,000 a month from their tenants, so if these properties become available at a very low price then I think HMO landlords paying cash would be confident they would start turning a profit pretty quickly.

“And if the condition of the building made it difficult to comply with regulations then I think those landlords could also be confident that they'd start turning a profit before our enforcement regime could catch up with them. We would be at risk of facilitating a dystopia in the middle of Gorgie."

Housing convener Tim Pogson accepted a Green call to make clear that any decision on divestment would have to come to the committee. But he rejected calls from the Greens to look at alternatives such as a housing trust or transferring Westfield Court from the council's housing account to its general account which might open up other paths.

Cllr Pogson said he still hoped the council could return to its plan to buy all the flats with a view to demolition. "I was comfortable with our agreed strategy of going forward towards demolition of a building which is more than past its sell-by date and developing new council housing on that site in its place. That would have been and still is my preferred way forward."

And he stressed: "We are not committing to divestment - that may or may not be for another day. We can't know where this listing application will take us."

Westfield Court had been plagued by problems - sewage pipes leaking into some of the flats, as well as persistent issues with the communal heating system, pre-cast concrete cladding panels, fire safety and flooding. The proposal to demolish the block was put forward in November after contractors said some of the sewage pipes were beyond repair.

It has been estimated investment of £48 million - or £500,000 per flat - would be needed to reinstate to the building to an acceptable standard. And crash decks have been put up in case of cladding falling from the building.

At Monday’s meeting, the committee heard from two deputations representing the owners and residents involved.

One owner, John Hunter, 77, said: “Westfield Court has been part of my family's life for over 60 years - it holds many special memories for our family. However, in my view, Westfield Court has now reached the point where the cost of restoring it is simply no longer realistic.

“For the last few years I have lived under a great deal of pressure, like many owners. I have faced increasing costs and uncertainty. When the council offered to purchase my flat it was honestly a huge relief for me - for the first time in a long time I felt there might be a way forward.

“When the process was paused I was devastated. The thought of being responsible for repair costs I simply could not afford is frightening - I know I am not alone in feeling that way.

“I fully understand that other residents and owners have different priorities. For people who have lived in the building for many years, moving elsewhere at this stage of life can be a daunting prospect. However, I believe finding the money to fund the scale of repairs now being discussed would be an even greater challenge for ordinary owners and pensioners.”

Mr Hunter’s daughter, Lisa Cockburn, co-ordinator of the Westfield Court Owners Group, told the committee the scope of the work that needed to be carried out to the building was “beyond financial reality”.

She said: “Any long term solution must depend not only on being technically feasible but affordable and deliverable. Many owners in our group are deeply concerned about their ability to fund major repair liabilities and uncertainty about what they may be.”

The Westfield Court Residents Association complained the estimated cost of repairs had increased from £250,000 per flat in December to £500,000 in May, without any breakdown of the costs being given.

A spokesman told the committee: “These costs not only seem exaggerated, but unrepresentative of what needs to be repaired at Westfield Court.”

And he continued: “A previous contractor in November 2025 said there was no siginficant movement risk of the Orlit panels on the exterior of the building. Suddenly, a new contractor arrives, suggesting that the panels are at risk of breaking and falling on people's heads at any moment and the building is now under siege with expensive scaffolding as a result.”

He said residents had created an alternative repair plan, using the resources and level of access the council had allowed. He said residents had been denied access to the roof, risers and basement, though the council said it had not received any request for access.

The residents’ association spokesman said: “Ultimately we support the listing process, the absolute removal of demolition as an option, bill breakdowns and access to all areas required to improve our repair plan.”

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