Mum living in Edinburgh Trainspotting flats known for drug abuse and violence shares truth about area

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A mum who lives in a set of Edinburgh flats made famous by Trainspotting due to their notorious reputation for drug abuse and violence has revealed what day to day life is really like.Kirsty Chatwood, who has lived at Cables Wynd House in Leith for 22 years and raised her two children there believes many problems of inequality and poor quality housing is caused by the flats reputation.The block- known locally as the banana flats - were made famous by Irvine Welsh's 1993 novel Trainspotting and subsequent movie which linked them to drug abuse but the 48-year-old believes this is far from reality for the locals who call them home.In 2022, Edinburgh Council announced an ambitious retrofit for the building including upgrading insulation, communal areas, ventilation, kitchens and bathrooms.

While residents have welcomed the news there are still concerns that need to be addressed. Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Kirsty said: "I've raised two kids here, and the reputation this building has just isn't true.

It wasn't true during the Trainspotting era either. The misconceptions are horrendous. "There's this assumption still that we're all drug addicts, that everyone is violent.

It isn't like that. The people here, the children here, are brilliant. Yes, we have a few issues here and there but what neighbourhood doesn't?