FAMILIES living near the old Edinburgh Royal Infirmary have demanded work to remove asbestos from derelict buildings is halted.
Residents are calling for contractors to test their homes for the material, after it was confirmed asbestos is being removed from an old laundry just yards from their properties.
And they have threatened to storm the building site unless the comp
any behind the Quartermile development agrees to halt work.
But the developers, Southside Capital, and the Health and Safety Executive today insisted there is no danger to the public.
The site is being transformed into a new multi-million pound residential area, and it had been known for months that asbestos would need to be removed. Southside Capital has been forced to spend around £11 million to rid the area of the substance.
Work on the old laundry, which was already partially destroyed, started last month. Contractors wearing protective clothing and masks, right, have been smashing rocks, causing dust to fly in the air, but nearby residents claim they were not informed about the latest work.
Tracey Palmer said her five children were playing in her back garden in Archibald Place, just ten feet from the building site, when she spotted the workmen.
The 37-year-old said: "It was a complete shock to see people dressed up in white suits, clearly protecting themselves, but I had no idea if my children were being exposed to anything dangerous.
"It turns out there are lumps of asbestos being removed from the stones they are crushing, which is obviously very worrying.
"We have been reassured that everything is safe, but we want our homes to be tested first. If they don't do that, we will protest on the site and stop them working."
Friends of the Earth Scotland today said Southside Capital should honour the request to test homes in the area.
Dr Dan Barlow, head of research, said: "The very least the company can do is halt work and fully investigate what has been happening."
Southside Capital has been hit with a high clean-up bill for the £400 million transformation of the old ERI because of widespread asbestos in the former hospital buildings, and the age of drains, sewers and pipes on the site.
Paul Curran, project management director at Quartermile, said: "We understand why the residents have expressed concerns but would reassure them that there is no health and safety issue, as has been confirmed by both the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and the HSE."
And a spokesman for the HSE said: "We have ensured that there is no danger to workers or members of the public."
THE FACTSEARLY work on the Quartermile development, which will feature hundreds of new homes, as well as shops, restaurants, leisure facilities, a five-star hotel and offices, is already under way. Developers Southside Capital hope the new office building at Number One Quartermile Square will revitalise Lauriston Place.
Work is expected to start on building the first tall residential blocks and refurbishing the former hospital wards this autumn, with the first flats to be available in 2007.
Scottish ministers gave the plans for the old hospital site the green light in 2003, despite objections from neighbours and heritage watchdogs, who feared the massive development would ruin the Capital's skyline.
Councillors had demanded a raft of changes to the original proposals before giving the go-ahead to the ambitious scheme.
Medical buildings, many of which are in disrepair, will be fully restored to their former glory, including the historic Red Home, designed by Scottish architect Sidney Mitchell in 1895.
