I live on Ann Street and here's what I think about it being Edinburgh's most sought-after address

Ann Street on Stockbridge came out on top when we asked readers which city address they would most like to live on.

Situated in the heart of Stockbridge with the Water of Leith flowing past, it is easy to see why so many people dream of buying a home there.

Its quaint Georgian houses are among the city’s most attractive - and also the most expensive.

By far the most popular street in Edinburgh that our readers would like to live on was Ann Street in Stockbridge, with the Water of Leith flowing past at one end of the road. | Google Maps

When we paid a visit off the back of our readers’ verdict, residents voiced mixed opinions on the reality of life on Ann Street.

Some were in total agreement with the title, hailing the sense of community and idyllic environment.

But some others highlighted parking woes and a constant flow of repair works as some of the downsides to living on the city’s most popular street.

Here’s what locals had to say.

‘I’d been missing out’

“All the residents are really nice, very good neighbours. The aesthetic is lovely. The only thing is the houses do require a lot of repairs.

“I moved here three years ago when my husband died. My son lives nearby, so that’s why I moved here.

“I came from the West, but I’ve ended up really liking it here. I’m over 80 and I had never lived in a city before, so for me it was quite a new experience but it’s lovely.

“I think maybe I’d been missing out.”

‘Too much development’

“I’ve lived here for about 40 years and it has changed a lot. There’s been too much development and the Georgian houses aren’t being looked after.

“People are buying the houses with tonnes of money and pulling their interiors apart. They are a lot of money and the prices are going up and up and up.

“When I got here it was nothing like they are today. They were in the thousands, not the millions.

“So everyone living here my age are not super high-earners. We weren’t quite normal people but professional people and it’s changed.

“The developments cause a huge hassle, it’s very noisy. It’s changing what should have been a quiet, residential street and making London townhouses out of it.

“When I moved here, everybody knew their neighbours. There were lots of little street parties going on, dinner parties and everybody looked out for each other. I don’t know half the people on the street anymore.

“They’re beautiful houses, it’s a fabulous location and Stockbridge is great - but if I was doing it all again today, I’m not sure I would come here.”

Parking nightmare

“It’s certainly not my favourite street. Parking is appalling. There’s no room. Despite the ban, all the tradesmen just park on the pavement willy nilly.

“It’s not the cars. It’s when the guys come to work on houses - which they seem to be doing all the time now - if they park opposite one of these cars, there’s no room for cars to get through so they just park on the pavement.

“They shouldn’t really park on the street at all. But they all have permits and sometimes you have four or five white vans a day, so it’s tricky. It drives me mad, but maybe it’s just city living.

“Apart from that, it’s quiet. It’s very close to cafes and restaurants. That’s quite handy.

“People seem to buy houses on this street and then just leave this empty. There was one bought about a year ago and they came up, did the garden up and went back down to Kent.

“They come back every now and then for the weekend. I think they’re just buying them as investment properties.

“Most of the neighbours are pretty old because young people can’t afford it. But there are nice people on the street, it’s a mixture just like any.”

‘Nature motorway’

“It’s very comfortable. It’s close to the city and the Water of Leith there is incredible. It’s a nature motorway.

“We moved from London many years ago. Stockbridge is like a little village down there, although I have to say I was happier when there was Woolworths.”