An Edinburgh couple have been left furious after being 'forced' to leave their home of over two decades due to plans for a new bin store outside.
Chris and Patricia Ramage have hit out at the council after an estate agent told them the value of their Portobello home will instantly drop by £10,000 once the store is installed.
Residents on Joppa Road for 22 years with no initial plans to move, the couple have now said they will be forced to go, claiming the store will bring unwanted noise and smells to their front door.
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Currently, the plans state that six new communal bins will be located outside the Ramage's property, including those for glass and general waste.
Explaining their "hands will be forced" to sell up, Chris, 64, told the Edinburgh Evening News: “We’ve pretty much decided we are going to sell up. We’ve lived here 22 years.
"It's a great wee spot and a good area but we just feel we could not live with that number of bins outside. We’re really reluctant to do it. We have a lovely wee garden and we were quite happy to stay here for the rest of our days. Why move when we have everything we want? But our hand is going to be forced.
“We've also been told by estate agents that the property value would be reduced by at least £10,000 overnight and it would also take considerably longer to sell. We are going to lose thousands of pounds.”
As well as the depreciation in value, Chris and Patricia, 65, issued concerns over the health hazards and disruption the bin store will create for themselves and an elderly neighbour.
Chris added: “There’ll be bottles crashing numerous times a day, bin lids slamming even more often, food waste fermenting in the summer heat, drive-by dumping of domestic and commercial waste and no doubt all sorts of spillages.
"The bin hub will cover three-quarters of the frontage of our house and completely obliterate the view from my living room window and front door.The bins are not supposed to be lifted before 7am, but recently they have been coming earlier. Just imagine a glass bin being emptied at 6.45am.”
Despite talks with the council, the couple have been unable to find a solution, with officials claiming that the spot was the "most suitable" for the store.
A council spokesperson said: “We’re really keen to work with local people on the roll out of these communal bin hubs and minimise disruption where we can. After a resident raised concerns about this particular site, we chose to review our plans for Joppa Road.
"We revisited other options in the area but the site came back as the most suitable – for the majority of households it will serve, for pavement heights to access bins and for the wider street in terms of pedestrian crossings, traffic lights and disabled parking bays.”
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