Sighthill to be demolished!

I just found out today that the entire Sighthill estate is to be demolished and replaced with new housing as part of a much-awaited regeneration programme for the area. Decanting has begun in Broomview House with the block to be demolished within the next 12 months or so. The other 3 blocks (Glenalmond, Weir and Hermiston Court) all due to be demolished by 2010. This is not the first time the estate has been earmarked for demolition. The estate was due to be torn down back in the 1990's but the plans could not go ahead because of funding problems.


Broomview House, first to go.


Going later: Hermiston, Weir and Glenalmond Court


The estate from above


See this link : http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=1838552006

Niddrie

Today, me and my pal Robbie went to Niddrie. Niddrie is located in East Edinburgh, you may have passed it if you have ever been to Fort Kinnaird retail park. It is an extremely notorious suburb of Edinburgh, well known as being very rundown and being home to some very undesirable people. Most of the houses were 1930's 2-storey tenements, designed by Ebenezer James MacRae, a city architect from 1925 to 1946, see this link for more info - http://www.st-francis.edin.sch.uk/Localhis.htm. Niddrie is now very empty, most of the tenements have been gradually demolished over past years, with the remaining ones now being the last to go.

The whole area was like a ghost town, the only life was 2 kids riding a scooter and a learner car driving up and down Harewood Road (or at least what used to be Harewood Road!) Most of the blocks were entirely empty and the most occupancy I could see was one flat per stair. The streets were pretty messy, the back greens being extremely messy.

Here are the pics:

Calders High Rises

On the same day that I visited Sighthill, I took a few pictures in the Calders Estate. The estate is located next to the Calder Road dual carraigeway (which leads to the motorway) and sits near Wester Hailes and Sighthill, confusion is quite often made between these two as to where the estate actually belongs.

The whole estate compromises of low rise flats (mostly with slanted roofs and anything from 1 to 4 storeys in height) and three 12-storey tower blocks (Cobbinshaw, Dunsyre and Medwin House). The high rises were renovated in the 1990's and the deteriorating concrete cladding was covered with metal cladding (similar to Persevere + Citadel Court, Leith). Anyway, I didnt get too many pics and they're not that great either but here they are:

The high-rises


Dunsyre House