Amidst the chaos of Edinburgh’s housing emergency and a soaring population, hundreds of unsellable homes are to be demolished and millions spent on new flats costing double their market value to build. Don’t blame the media, writes Herald columnist John McLellan.

Like The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, you’d be upset if you suddenly learnt the local council said they had no choice but to demolish your home.

But the residents of Westfield Court in Gorgie are not facing the threat of a new bypass (Hitchhiker’s was written in the 1970s, after all, and we don’t build roads in Scotland any more) but Edinburgh Council’s housing officers who have decided the otherwise solid 1950s block of flats has to go because, to put it mildly, the sanitation leaves much to be desired.

It is, almost literally, sh*t or bust, because like Westfield Court’s sewage system, Edinburgh Council is not flush and renovation which could cost up to £20 million, according to council estimates, is not considered worth it to save the building.

With allegations of council neglect and obstructiveness, a delegation of residents understandably fearing homelessness brought Tuesday’s emotionally-charged housing committee to a halt. But most people would be furious to be told their structurally-sound building was only fit for the wrecking ball and not repair men, especially when a housing emergency has been declared locally and........

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