In early December, residents of a block of flats in Edinburgh’s Newhaven were informed of a 3cm crack that had appeared on the external wall of their bay window during a meeting. They requested an independent engineer to inspect the damage, who then informed the city council of their concerns. A week later, all 12 flats received a letter from the local authority stating that they would need to erect scaffolding at some point to ensure the building’s safety.
However, no news was provided after Christmas until Monday when the residents were told that the building was no longer safe and that they had to leave immediately. A dozen families were left homeless as council officials notified them of the sudden evacuation. The main road was closed, and none of the tenants was permitted to return.
The traditional sandstone tenement stands in front of Edinburgh’s latest tram network extension. Despite being in an expensive neighborhood with brand new flats, shopping centers, hotels, gyms, and restaurants, the sandstone block has long been standing since the 1890s. Ironically, it now faces a busy main road that links the port of Leith with the city’s north-western suburbs.
Residents living in the affected building, including Thimo Lam, a 30-year old classroom assistant with his wife and daughter, are profoundly impacted. When he and his family first moved into the flats that he has bought two years ago, there was no indication of structural damage. Hairline cracks began to form on interior walls and neighboring flats shortly after that. Now, he and his family have been displaced and forced to live with relatives.
It is unclear what caused the crack, but the City of Edinburgh Council has promised to investigate the matter further. For the meantime, the road outside the building has been closed, and emergency scaffolding will be erected over the weekend to determine whether it is safe for the tenants to return
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