Work starts today when machinery will move in to clear old housing blocks on sites in Pennywell and Muirhouse to make way for a new phase of regeneration.

Three blocks of houses at 2-16 Muirhouse Way, 38-52 Muirhouse Avenue and 54-68 Muirhouse Avenue are being taken down in this set of works.

Local residents are welcoming the start of this work, seeing it as a sign of progress. This project is part of the 21st Century Council Homes for Edinburgh Programme. The redevelopment of Pennywell and Muirhouse, North Sighthill, Gracemount and will contribute towards Edinburgh delivering more than 12,000 new affordable homes over the next ten years.

Safedem will start work to clear these buildings and work should be completed in 10 to 12 weeks.

Materials that will be removed from these buildings will be recycled where possible. The structure of the building will be taken down by machine and then turned into rubble and re-used. For example the concrete will be crushed into small pieces which can then be used as hardcore material to form new roads or foundations for new houses.

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Councillor Paul Edie, Housing Leader said: "This is an exciting time in Muirhouse. There is definitely a sense of out with the old and in with the new. We are working closely with the community to make sure they are involved in the regeneration process and that they are fully informed about what's going on. I look forward seeing new homes being built on this land and the creation of new communities in this neighbourhood."

Roy Douglas, chair of Muirhouse & Salvesen Community Council said: "It's good to see work actually starting on the site. The community have been waiting for this and are looking forward to all the expected improvements.

"I've been working with the Council and Safedem to address community concerns about safety issues, particularly during the site clearance; we are making sure that site traffic does not cause any danger to children going to school."

Local Housing and Regeneration Manager, Mark Rodgers, said, "We've been in the process of vacating these blocks for a couple of years now. It's great to see the physical work taking place as it lets people know we are moving forward and taking steps to revitalise communities and importantly, create new homes."

Local residents can find up-to-date information displayed on the notice board at the back of Muirhouse Library under '21st Century Council Homes for Edinburgh' creating communities.' This will include updates on taking down these buildings and other aspects of the regeneration programme such as re-housing and future development plans.