Residents evacuated from ‘dangerous’ Edinburgh tenement fear tram works to blame

A dozen households were told to leave the building ‘within the hour’ on Monday evening

Residents forced to evacuate an Edinburgh tenement with just one hour's notice have said they previously raised a claim over structural damage they believe was caused by nearby tram works.

Twelve households were told to leave their properties at Anchorfield on Lindsay Road in Newhaven on Monday evening and have not been allowed to return. Council officials told them to vacate the building “within the hour” due to the risk of collapse. Commercial premises, including a pub, were also forced to close.

Cammy Day, the leader of Edinburgh Council, said “serious concerns about the structure of the building” meant the safest course of action “was to evacuate all households without delay”.

Residents were evacuated from flats on Lindsay Road on Monday evening. Picture: Lisa Ferguson

The move follows concerns over the discovery of large cracks – up to 3cm wide – in the masonry of a bay window last year. The council was notified and officials sent out a letter on December 13 saying two structural engineers had raised “major” concerns and a contractor would be instructed to carry out “emergency make safe works”.

However, residents say nothing was done until two council officials evacuated the building around 6.30pm on Monday. A further letter from the council, sent out late on Tuesday afternoon, said “dangerous masonry” had been observed, “compromising the structural integrity of the building”. It said the block was “vulnerable to an unpredictable (i.e. immediate) failure with no warning to evacuate”.

Following the discovery of the bay window cracks, residents say they raised a collective claim against Edinburgh Trams in early December. They believe the damage is linked to engineering works carried out as part of the extension to the tram line, which opened last year. The Newhaven stop is opposite the building.

Flat owners in the block have previously raised claims over internal hairline cracks they believe were also linked to the tram works. One resident said they received compensation on the back of this, although they said tram bosses did not accept liability.

Jules Skotnes Brown, who lives in the building with his wife Victoria Shea and their young baby, was visiting family in South Africa and only found out about the evacuation from neighbours, who managed to grab a couple of items from the couple’s flat – including Victoria’s engagement ring.

He said the communication from the council had been “totally abysmal”, adding. “It’s been a real nightmare dealing with them, and it’s so frustrating because they had all this time to do the repairs that they said they were going to do.”

The 31-year-old said: “We don’t know what’s going on. We don’t know when we’re going to be able to get back in that building to even get possessions.”

Approached by The Scotsman, Edinburgh Trams directed questions to the council. The local authority said it was looking into the matter.

Cllr Day said: “We’re continuing to support all residents impacted and we urge homeowners and businesses to contact their individual insurers urgently. For those who cannot stay with friends and family, we’ll make sure they have somewhere safe to stay until their insurance arranges this for them.

“We’re carrying out further checks and arranging urgent works to make the building safe as soon as possible. This will allow us to reopen the surrounding area, including Lindsay Road. We’ll continue to keep all residents updated as the situation develops.”