House prices soaring in Edinburgh - your views online

Soaring house prices mean a typical home in Edinburgh now costs around seven times the average wage, according to a new report from the Bank of Scotland.

Murray Mcdonald: That's why Edinburgh is known as the dead city – it's not affordable for the young. They've all moved to East Lothian, the Borders, Fife and other council areas where they can afford a decent house, and aren't annoyed by yearly swarms of tourists and performing luvvies or pay extortionate council tax to a council that treats residents like dog dirt because they can't make enough money out of them, and might have to provide them with the odd bin collection. Anyone with a brain leaves and doesn't come back.

Martin Scott: There are many places to point fingers, but the main contributing factor for me is the slow rate of development in the city. Its simple supply and demand and not much has changed in 30 years – i.e. a low rate of development. Student housing is interesting, it's taken many students out of private rented tenements, releasing housing for non-students, but nobody seems to mention this. Airbnb accounts for as little as one-two per cent of housing in Edinburgh so is negligible when looking at the bigger picture. For me it's stagnated development of new housing. It’s not a question of a lack of development opportunities so you have to ask yourself why it's not happened.

Edinburgh is the least affordable place to buy a house in Scotland

Euan Slight: House prices are dictated by the buyers, and not the seller. Would you sell your current home for a significant loss? Or would you want the most money you could get that someone is willing to pay for it?

Martin Veart: It seems to me that first-time house-buying is now restricted to those who are in a secure relationship with both partners earning. If two people are on an average wage, we return to the historic average of 3.5 times the household income.

Elayne Young: Born and raised Edinburgh folk can't find a place now… my daughter included! The city is welcoming to all but those who work hard, save hard, and have family ties to the city – they are pushed aside in favour of tourists, affluent folk from elsewhere, students etc.

Ian MacLachlan: Where will the well-heeled get rid of their garbage? How will they have water and sewage concerns pumped to and from their houses when the people that do these jobs can’t afford to stay in the city? Do they return to “gardyloo”?

David Funnell: I work for a property rental company and even the cheaper two-bed flats can be £1,000-plus a month. Many of my colleagues do live in Edinburgh and spend 50 per cent or more of their wages on rent. I’d rather live where I do, and spend my money enjoying life.

Robert MacIntosh: Edinburgh City Council has not allowed the city to expand. Edinburgh could have a population of 850,000 now with the amount of jobs it has created, massively overshadowing Glasgow, but the city council stopped building and outsourced housing for the past 20 years to surrounding councils. Hence why East and West Lothian, Fife and Falkirk are all surrounded by vast housing estates. That housing growth would have kept house prices lower. Edinburgh is also full of NIMBYs despite it being 50 per cent gardens and parks.

Seán Fhoirbeis: It’s OK. All the blow-ins from London can still afford to buy here and turn Scottish people into a minority in their own capital city.

Legacy group's fears

Members of a group investigating the legacy of slavery and colonialism in Edinburgh have raised concerns about their personal safety and that of their families if their identities are made public.

Paul Sutherland: They should definitely be named. If people want to join and run these types of groups, then why would they want to remain anonymous? Signing up for this kind of thing will always attract unwanted attention, why out yourself in this position, knowing the reaction you may receive. Surely they must be proud of what they are doing? Surely if taxpayers are funding this, the information should be made to the public?

Louise Wilson: By retaining monuments and street names we are not celebrating slavery, we are retaining our city's history. Would you have us demolish Bute House, Dundas House, George Watson's College? Maybe the university medical school? Without our history, without slavery and the wealth it brought, our city would be very different, and – dare I say it – much worse off.

Anne Clark: History can’t be changed, but we can move forward and not make the same mistakes. We shouldn’t be glorifying people by naming things after them.

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