The fed-up Edinburgh residents living in tower block made famous by Trainspotting

Edinburgh's infamous tower block, known as 'Banana Flats' and made famous by Trainspotting, has a reputation that precedes it. Cables Wynd House, synonymous with the city's iconic film, was notorious for being a hub of drug abuse and poverty in the 80s.

Constructed between 1963 and 1965, Cables Wynd House was part of an ambitious post-war urban redevelopment scheme, featuring a Brutalist concrete design. This distinctive building in Leith was granted special architectural status by heritage chiefs in 2017.

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To gain a deeper understanding of this 'scheme in the sky', we spoke to some of its current residents. What we discovered was a community that care for each other, but not for the housing they inhabit.

The word 'community' frequently came up during our conversations, but it was overshadowed by two other words - 'dampness' and 'mould.

Philip Hewat, aged 62, who suffers from various health issues including COPD and who experienced a heart attack and mini stroke last November, shared his mixed feelings about living in the Banana Flats. While he praised the neighbours and local amenities, he was less than impressed with the maintenance of his council home.

Philip, who settled in the area over the last ten years, feels part of the community but has been battling with damp and mould in his home, which he says the council has taken over a year to tackle.

"The area has changed a lot since I moved here with pints going for about £7 down the Shore," Philip remarked.

"But I tend to stick to a wee pub, Foxes Bar, at the bottom of the road, they look after me there. I've not been able to get down a lot due to my mobility but the landlord texts me to check in and a few of the trades lads that work there have also given me mates rates to do up the flat."

"I love where I am. I've got the Tesco and Asian shop just down the road for the essentials."

"The neighbours are all friendly too but you obviously get the odd one or two that you don't see eye to eye with. The flats are nice and big, they are really spacious, but the problem is the damp."

Struggling for breath and reaching for his inhaler, Philip explains how his COPD has worsened due to the mould and damp visible throughout his property.

The issue has affected him physically, financially, and emotionally. He alleges that the dampness, oddly concentrated at the front of his home and made worse when an upstairs neighbour's flat flooded, has forced him to discard numerous items of clothing.

Philip also planned to paint his hallway and bedroom, buying the paint, but couldn't use it due to damp walls. He has reportedly been in contact with the council since November 2022, but has repeatedly been let down by workers missing appointments or failing to offer solutions.

He said: "My ceiling collapsed in January this year and it took them eight months to fix it. You can see the dampness coming through and the grout covered in mould."

He added: "They put in this white panelling that was supposed to solve the problem but it has not fixed the issue. My brother had to come out and help scrub the mould away for me as I have issues moving around due to my illnesses."

He continued: "He contacted the council on my behalf and said something needs done here. My bedroom windows are covered in mould and there is damp coming through that makes my clothes stink."

He added: "I had to buy a new bed because of it and throw all the linen out. I've had three different inspectors out, some of who have missed the original appointments."

He said: "The last one that came took a look at the hallway that has visible damp and mould and he promised he would get it fixed but it has just got worse and worse. I wish they'd get their finger out and get things sorted because the black mould is becoming a real pronlem."

"I was supposed to have someone come last Friday but again, no one showed up. As I said before the area is great but the council need to fix the housing."

Scott Thomson, 45, a former Fort resident, moved to Cables Wynd, where he finds joy in his home despite its quirks. However, he acknowledges that no place can truly replicate the vibrant community of the infamous Fort.

Scott acknowledges the diverse cast of characters, both good and questionable, in his block. Although he hasn't faced prolonged issues with damp like his neighbor, he has encountered water leaks in his bedroom.

"I've lived here for a year and a half and look, it is one of those places where you keep yourself to yourself and everything is alright," he said. "If folk want to be like trainspotting and shoot up then just do it yourself in your own flat and not in the communal areas."

"Living on the ground level I get folk throwing stuff over the balconies which can be a pain but overall it is brand new. No one bothers you."

"You experience real life here. I grew up in the Fort for 17 years and although you cannot compare to the Fort, it is really similar."

"But back then you could leave your front door open and everything. Both communities have really nice people but you get the same experience with having to clean up needles and s**t."

Scott introduces his neighbor Grzegorz Wegrzyn, who has been left emotionally shattered by the damp and mould infesting his home. Upon our arrival at his residence, council workers were seen removing the flooring in his hallway and working to fix the extensive damage caused by damp and mould.

The tenant had also been affected by problems at the front of his house, which resulted in him having to sleep on a mattress in his living room for nearly a year.

"The issues with my home have made me depressed and to be honest, there was a point they made me feel suicidal," Grzegorz revealed. "I reported issues 18 months ago and they are only now being sorted."

"In April last year I took wallpaper off my bedroom wall to do some plastering and I found large damp marks, so I reported it to the council. My shower was also not working as the water was not draining properly."

"The work they carried out on my bathroom took two months and through that time all I had was a toilet. I went to my GP as I was depressed and thankfully they managed to get me a gym membership for the local swimming pool so I could shower each morning."

"I feel the council repairs team has not been helpful at all. It is a humiliating experience and I feel like I was treated like an idiot and lied to constantly."

"They would arrange a visit and on two occasions no one showed up. No one tried to contact me and there was silence for two weeks."

"I've considered taking the council to court but just this week they started work to get rid of the damp and the mould. The anxiety of the whole process has been terrible."

"I applied for a council home and it took me three years as I was struggling in temporary accommodation living next to questionable people. But since I moved in the bathroom, corridor and bedroom have all been really badly impacted by damp and mould."

"I slept in my living room for six months due to it. The bedroom wall was so bad that it had a growth on it and it was not safe to live in."

Grzegorz added that a big reason for him not leaving the home was the community that surrounds him.

"I have great neighbours and that is a reason why I do not think about moving. There is a real community feel," he continued.

"The area and block itself are fine, some people give you a hard time but most people are ok. I had a difficult time with a noisy neighbour which was problematic but the council did help with that."

"When you are out in the area everyone introduces themselves. I love Leith."

"The building gets a lot of natural light and it is in a great location close to a local gym, shops and GP. I love it here."

Councillor Jane Meagher, the housing, homelessness and fair Work convener, said: "This must be a distressing time for both residents and I'm sorry they've experienced damp and mould in their homes. I know Council officers are supporting them as far as possible, exploring insurance claims for damaged belongings and fixing outstanding problems."

"Cable's Wynd is a prominent but aging block of flats and while a series of energy measures were installed in 2012, the building was constructed in the 1960s and needs more work. We have been talking to local residents about improvements to the whole building and next year we'll be developing designs for a full upgrade of the block which will address longstanding issues."

"In the meantime, we'll continue to do everything we can to address issues and urge any other tenant who is experiencing damp or mould to get in touch."

"This 'retrofitting' work we're doing will make homes modern, greener, and more accessible. In many cases, we'll drastically overhaul the fabric of buildings and improve energy performance. This will help with issues like damp, help to lower tenants' fuel costs and support Edinburgh's net zero carbon by 2030 commitment."

"It will take some time to roll out and it may involve a bit of short-term disruption, but the longer-term benefits for tenants will be significant. I'm also pleased we've made significant progress in implementing the actions in our Dampness and Mould Service Improvement Plan since it was approved in May."

"This includes establishing a dedicated team who respond to concerns from tenants about damp and mould in their homes, installing dampness sensors in 500 homes as part of a pilot to help us take action pro-actively, and improving our damp survey waiting times."