RESIDENTS of an Edinburgh street devastated by a gas explosion over a year ago are facing their second Christmas in temporary accommodation after very little change.
The incident at a house in Baberton Mains Avenue on 1 December 2023 claimed the life of 84-year-old James Smith and left two others in hospital.
Displaced neighbours have another long wait ahead before they can be allowed to return to their homes.
Although the end of the street has been fenced off, the shell of the affected houses and much of the debris still remains.
It was reported after the incident that the explosion was caused by “internal gas installations” within the house, and not the wider gas network.
Residents have been told the demolition is scheduled to begin in February 2025, with the rebuilding process due to take another 18 months.
Those housed in temporary accommodation spoke of their frustration in being left in the dark on the situation.
Preparing to face another Christmas away from their homes, some described their situations as “terrible” and “lonely”.
Conservative MSP for the Lothian region Sue Webber, who has been advocating for those affected since the tragic incident, expressed her disappointment at the lack of substantial change.
She previously revisited the street in May and hit out at the city council for its inaction, with the site at the time having lain untouched for nearly six months.
Residents struggled then with obtaining updates, despite the situation being more uncertain with no plans made for demolition at that point.
Webber had insisted there should be a “far greater sense of urgency” in dealing with matters such as people’s lives and homes.
Speaking today, she said: “Living locally I have watched with concern over the last 12 months as nothing has changed in that time.
“And in June despite emails, meetings and questions I finally resorted to asking the First Minister to meet with residents and to help their cause and this meeting took place in July.
“Here we are, one year on and families are still living in temporary accommodation, the street is still devastated, the partially destroyed houses are continuing to degrade, the other residents of Baberton Mains Avenue must look onto the scene daily where one of their neighbours tragically lost his life.
“No one should be satisfied with the approach taken by authorities to help these families move forward with their lives. Now it seems there may be an end in sight for some, but this is still a long way off.
“The plans to demolish and rebuild the terraced homes by summer 2026 is still a long-way off and I certainly hope that every effort will be made to bring this date forward. We must remember that these families’ lives were changed in an instant.”
