RESIDENTS of the famous Edinburgh “banana flats” have claimed the city council is ignoring their human rights.
In a damning report published yesterday, residents of the high-rise block made famous in Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting novel claimed the City of Edinburgh Council is neglecting their human rights.
A local campaign group set up by residents of the banana flats has claimed that the council refuses to invest in the building, violating their human right to housing.
The council owns all but four of the flats in the Cables Wynd block and in a report released by the same campaign group, it has been revealed that over half of the residents of the block live with mould and damp.
Even more stated they had issues with mice, rats and other pests, with surveys being taken over three years showing 53% lived with mould, and 63% reported pests.
Despite the city council’s work and the campaign group’s successful petition last year to have the lifts repaired, only 23% of residents reportedly felt fully confident using the lifts in 2024.
A massive 40% of residents said the housing had impacted their health when surveyed by the campaign group last year and a further 42% had experienced anti-social behaviour.
In turn, only one third (33.3%) of those experiencing the anti-social behaviour said they felt comfortable reporting this to the police.
Further stats from the survey show 41% of residents waited over two months for repairs and 45% said they waited over six months for repairs.
Shockingly 58% of those waiting said the repair was having a big impact on their lives and 59% of residents did not feel informed about building matters.
Despite claims made by the council that the flats will have a revamp and renovation, residents are concerned that this will not come soon enough.
All of the issues outlined in the residents’ campaign group have been brought to the council with a timescale for them to be addressed by July 2025.
The Cables Wynd flats, known as the banana flats thanks to their curved shape, were built in 1965 and comprise a nine-storey high block.
The flats are now a category A listed building, being of significant national interest, and were made famous by the Trainspotting novel.
A report made by Edinburgh Live saw one resident claim that the building’s bad reputation, brought about by Trainspotting, was over-exaggerated.
One resident of Cables Wynd said: “I have a 16-year-old son with autism and the lifts are an issue for him. I can manage to use the stairs.”
Another mentioned the damp, saying: “Damp and mould affect me badly as I’ve got chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, had a heart attack and stroke.”
When asked in the survey how their home affects their health one resident said: “I am now on antidepressants.”
Angela O’Hagan, chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission said: “The realities for residents of Cables Wynd are laid bare in this report of their own research into current housing conditions and the state of repair of the building.
“The increase in repair times, and repairs left unresolved, prevalence of vermin, and in anti-social behaviour all reveal the impact on people’s quality of life and everyday living conditions.
“All the elements the residents raise in this report are basic human rights – to housing, health, participation – in decision making, in education, and access to services.”
Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener Lezley Marion Cameron said: “The Council is committing a significant investment of £69 Million 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.”
