Residents of Westfield Court are divided on the building’s likely listed status as Edinburgh Council debated the future of the building on Monday.

Westfield Court, a multi-storey block of flats which has stood in Gorgie for over 70 years, has faced uncertainty over its future for months amid severe problems.

Officers had originally planned to provide councillors with a report recommending that the City of Edinburgh Council buy up privately owned flats in the building ahead of its demolition.

However, the plans had to be paused after officers received notice that Historic Environment Scotland (HES) are “likely” to approve an application to list the building.

Should the application be confirmed as successful in the coming weeks, the Council would have to secure Listed Building Consent to undertake any work or proceed with any demolition plans.

Councillors were not expected to make a decision on the matter during the meeting due to the listing news.

During Edinburgh Council’s housing committee meeting on Monday, residents issued starkly differing views on the pending listed status.

Lisa Cockburn and her father John Hunter, of the Westfield Court Owners Group, gave a deputation to councillors at the meeting.

Ms Cockburn said: “Our group opposes listing. We do not believe that the practical consequences of the listing have yet been adequately considered, particularly given the condition of the building, extent of the existing alterations, and the affordability challenges facing owners.

“We are concerned about approaches that focus on preserving the building without answering practical questions about how it would be funded and managed in the long term. More importantly, despite many months of discussion, no realistic, fully funded, and deliverable alternative has yet been presented.

“We understand why the Historic [Environment] Scotland notification caused us to pull the offers, but we are deeply disappointed that they were paused at a late stage. We have been left in limbo with no certainty about our future.”

However, a representative of the Westfield Residents Association told councillors that they “support” the building’s listing to prevent demolition.

The representative said: “Residents feel that council have continued to make decisions behind closed doors, passing on information to residents via public sessions to the contrary of what residents had expected, which is to be consulted prior to any decisions being made at Westfield Court.”

The representative added: “A major factor that had restrained any decision to be made today came from the apparent listing status application. If the council hopes to divest from Westfield Court, the residents demand that they take their full responsibility of their evident historic neglect and pay their dues.

“Ultimately, we also support the listing process, the absolute removal of demolition as an option, bill breakdowns and access to all areas required to improve our repair plan.”

In a 6 to 5 vote, councillors opted to approve the recommendations by officer’s to halt plans until the HES decision was confirmed.

Officers told councillors during the meeting that it could be “a number of weeks” until the HES decision is made.

In late May, housing convener Tim Pogson noted that the Council would likely appeal HES’ looming decision.

A spokesperson for HES said in May: “We were asked in late 2025 to consider Westfield Court for listing.  Following research, our early view is that this innovative multi-storey block is of sufficient interest for listing, but we have not yet made a decision. 

“We are finalising our report, including gathering information on the current status of the building, and we expect to start a consultation on a potential listing in the coming weeks.”