A former soldier in the French Foreign Legion has been drafted in to beef up security at an upmarket Edinburgh housing development.

The ex-legionnaire is part of a seven-strong concierge team, which also includes a former Royal Marine, which will monitor the £450 million Quartermile development being built on the former site of Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Bordering the Meadows, the 19-acre site will include more than 900 private homes, 350,000 sq ft of office accommodation and restaurants, cafes and shops.

Despite their military backgrounds, the new recruits will offer services ranging from dry cleaning to dog walking.

Ken Aitken, estates director, said: "The concierge service is one of the many additional services residents within this emerging new district will benefit from.

"Quartermile Estates will be ensuring high standards are maintained long after the building work is complete, tending to the gardens and servicing the buildings and communal areas to allow residents to enjoy their new environment to the full."

The first residents began moving in late last year. A joint venture between housebuilder Gladedale and the Bank of Scotland, Quartermile has been promoted as far afield as Hong Kong, Beijing, Singapore and South Africa.

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