Affected residents in several new-build properties in Edinburgh will have to move into temporary accommodation for up to eight weeks after previously unidentified mining works were discovered. Sixteen households at Edgelaw View in Gilmerton have been told they must leave temporarily while remedial works are carried out, and some buyers of new homes will have their move-in dates delayed.
The residents of the seven houses and nine flats in a block managed by Places for People Scotland all moved into their homes in recent months. Miller Homes said there was no immediate risk to homes while the "precautionary" works were carried out.
The affected residents will have to move into temporary accommodation for up to eight weeks from late August.
Why are residents being moved out?
The developer Miller Homes said the works are being carried out after a previously unidentified mining feature was found beneath specific locations within the development. The feature was discovered while work for newer buildings on the estate was under way.
A spokesperson for Places for People Scotland said they understood their customers "may be concerned" by ground works and the temporary move from their homes.
The developer of the homes, Miller Homes, recently informed us that a previously unidentified mining feature beneath specific locations within the development have been identified and require preventative ground works to be carried out.
We'd like to reassure customers that these works are precautionary and designed to protect homes against any future issues – there is no current or immediate risk.
The company added that it appreciated the situation would be unsettling for customers and their families and that it was working to make the process as easy as possible and with no extra costs.
We appreciate that this will be unsettling for customers and their families and we are working to make this process as easy as possible and with no extra costs.
We will be supporting with the logistics and costs of moving, suitable alternative accommodation, and any wider impacts on daily life.
What work will be carried out?
Geotechnical experts recommended further drilling and pressure grouting to stabilise the ground. The works are described as precautionary and intended to protect homes against any future issues.
A spokesman for Miller Homes said a small number of unoccupied homes and some occupied properties managed by Places for People Scotland were affected.
These works are precautionary and designed to protect homes against any future issues.
While there is no immediate risk to homes, the safety and wellbeing of residents is our top priority.
He added that a few Miller Homes customers would experience a slight delay in moving into their new homes and that impacted customers had been told their revised entry dates.
A few Miller Homes customers will experience a slight delay in moving into their new homes and we have communicated with the impacted customers regarding their revised entry dates.
How many people are affected?
The affected homes include the seven houses and nine flats in the block managed by Places for People Scotland, making up 16 households in total. The residents all moved in during recent months, and some buyers of new homes will now face delayed entry dates because of the work.
The affected residents will be moved into temporary accommodation for up to eight weeks from late August while the ground is stabilised and the precautionary measures are completed.
Is this linked to other minework problems in Scotland?
The Edinburgh case comes after more than 250 residents of a street in Coalsnaughton, Clackmannanshire, were recently told to leave their homes because of dangers from old shallow mine works. Earlier this month, Clackmannanshire Council issued dangerous building notices for a further six properties after ground movement was observed.
The Mining Remediation Authority (MRA) told the council that ground movement in the village was showing "no signs of stopping". In June, the Scottish government confirmed a £1m package to help meet the cost of the emergency.
The situation in Edinburgh is described by both Places for People Scotland and Miller Homes as precautionary, with no current or immediate risk to homes while the work is carried out.
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