Overview of West Pilton

Lying between Ferry Road in Edinburgh and the former Granton Gas Works, West Pilton is a public housing estate begun in 1936-7, but not completed until the mid-1950s, building having been suspended during the Second World War. Mostly comprising two and three-storey maisonettes, the area includes the ten-storey Inchgarvie and Inchcolm Courts towards the southeast. The area has suffered from significant social problems. From the mid-1980s, West Pilton and the neighbouring Muirhouse have been undergoing significant renewal, with many of the tired and vandalised blocks being replaced. For example, the Granton Housing Association has built new public and private housing across the area. Several community projects are aimed at improving the security and social structure of the area. Pilton suffers unemployment rates of more than double the average for Edinburgh, with a larger proportion of long-term unemployment.