Edinburgh residents call for an end to 'relentless' early morning Haymarket building site disruption

Edinburgh residents living next to one of the city’s biggest and nosiest building sites have called for work to start later on weekends after three years of “relentless” disruption to their lives.

Every morning at 7.30am – except Sundays – a safety horn blares from Haymarket Square where new office buildings have been under construction since 2020 as part of a major £350 million redevelopment of the site.

Those living next door at Dalry Colonies have said the noise generated by the project has taken its toll on their well-being, particularly for home workers and people who work at night and rest during the day.

A local councillor said the concerns were “not given a fair hearing”, however he welcomed a commitment by contractors to review options.

The issue was raised at an Edinburgh council meeting on Thursday (June 22) where Barbie Lyon from Dalry Colonies Residents Association told councillors around 250 households were bearing the brunt of the construction works.

She said: “Whilst Haymarket junction is very business orientated, all the buildings to the side and behind the site are permanent residences. Work began in 2020, three years ago, and is due for completion by the end of 2025.

“The council regulations are working hours 7am to 7pm from Monday to Saturday. [Sir Robert] McAlpine, the contractor, can apply for work to happen on Sundays too.”

She said early starts six days a week were having a “significant impact on the health and well-being of the community” and that despite nine months of regular meetings requesting support, nothing had been done to mitigate the noise issues.

Ms Lyon called for other measures such as acoustic screening between the building site and nearby homes to be explored.

She added: “There does not seem to be any provision of impact risk assessments to be undertaken in relation to residents. At 7am each morning work gets under way on the site, and at 7.30 every morning six days a week for the last three years the safety horn for the big crane sounds. This is a very necessary safety measure – but it is relentless for us.

“We would like the developers and contractors to consider starting later on a Saturday to enable everyone to rest at the weekend. We would be hopeful that this request could be addressed without impacting the number of working hours on site.”

Councillors agreed a meeting should be held in the next two weeks between the residents association and representatives from Sir Robert McAlpine (SRM) and developers QMile to discuss the specific request to commence works later on a Saturday.

Sir Robert McAlpine was contacted for comment.

Independent councillor for Sighthill/Gorgie Ross McKenzie said: “I brought the motion after attending a community meeting hosted by SRM and QMile where I felt these specific points were not given a fair hearing. I’m just trying to facilitate a more respectful dialogue. I lived next to a large construction site for years and I know what a nightmare it can be.

“I don’t think the residents are asking for too much – a couple of hours relief on a Saturday morning needn’t delay the project – it’s not clear why they have to work from 7am until 1pm on a Saturday rather 9am until 3pm. SRM have now committed to reviewing the specific points raised in the motion and I look forward to seeing the results of that review.”