Hundreds of council and privately rented homes in Edinburgh are set to be upgraded as part of a ‘ground-breaking’ pilot scheme to make tenement blocks more energy efficient.
More than 180 blocks across Wester Hailes are to have guttering, roofing and attic insulation replaced or repaired alongside essential maintenance and redecoration of stairwells as part of the three-year Mixed Tenure Improvement Service (MTIS) plan.
Work is already underway on over 60 buildings in the area, with some in Murrayburn already complete and the rest on track to be finished by summer 2022.
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If successful, it is hoped the programme of works can be rolled out across the city, according to council housing chiefs.
Thousands of previously council-owned properties no longer meet modern energy efficiency requirements after being purchased by former tenants during the right-to-buy scheme - which ended in 2016.
The local authority is planning to carry out work in 181 mixed tenure blocks - covering 500 properties - in Murrayburn, Hailesland and Dumbryden over a three-year period.
Repairs and replacement of roofing, guttering, drying room facades, installation of external wall and attic insulation, together with the maintenance and decoration of communal stairwell spaces, have all been budgeted in the programme.
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Housing convener, councillor Kate Campbell, said: "Bringing all our housing stock up to a good condition, making homes energy efficient, warm and affordable to heat is very important, both for tenants and for owners in these blocks.
"The mixed tenure improvement service continues to be an incredibly successful as a pilot, and I’m so pleased that we are expanding this programme as it will play a crucial role in dealing with the legacy issues caused by right to buy.
"We can now invest in many more homes making much needed improvements to homes and blocks across the city.
