🔗 Share this article

On one of the busiest tourist streets in the core of Scotland's heritage-rich city centre sits a monolith of scaffolding.

For five years, Radisson's G&V Hotel on the intersection of Edinburgh's Royal Mile and the adjacent bridge has been a plastic-wrapped eyesore.

Tourists are unable to reserve stays, foot traffic are squeezed through confined passages, and establishments have left the building.

Repair work commenced in 2020 and was only expected to last a few months, but now frustrated residents have been told the scaffolding could stay in place until 2027.

Prolonged Deadlines

The construction firm, the lead company, says it will be "near the finish" of 2026 before the initial parts of the scaffold can be dismantled.

The city's political leader Jane Meagher has labeled it a "blight" on the area, while conservationists say the work is "very troublesome".

What is transpiring with this notoriously protracted project?

Background Issues

The establishment with 136 rooms was constructed on the site of the previous regional authority offices in 2009.

Figures from when it initially debuted under the Missoni Hotel banner, put the build cost at about a significant sum.

Remedial efforts started soon after the start of the Covid pandemic with the hotel itself closed to guests since 2022.

A section of the street and a significant portion of sidewalk leading up to the junction of the historic street have been closed off by the development.

Pedestrians going to and from the an adjacent district and another locale have been compelled one after another into a tight, enclosed passage.

Seafood restaurant a well-known restaurant left the building and transferred to another city in 2024.

In a statement, its owners said the ongoing project had obliged them to change the restaurant's facade, adding that "customers deserved better".

It is also hosts dining franchise a pizza restaurant – which has displayed large signs on the structure to notify customers it is operating as usual.

Slipped Schedules

An communication to the a local authority committee in early this year suggested that the process of "uncovering" the frontage would begin in February, with a total takedown by the year's end.

But the contractor has said that will not happen, pointing to "highly complicated" building problems for the postponement.

"We anticipate starting to dismantle sections of the scaffold towards the end of 2026, with subsequent enhancements continuing thereafter," a statement read.

"Efforts are underway closely with everyone involved to ensure we provide an better site for the public."

Local and Conservation Frustration

A conservation official, director of preservation association the Cockburn Association, said the work had contributed to the city's reputation of being "protracted" for urban works.

She said those working on the project had a "public duty" to minimise disruption and should blend the work into the city's streetscape.

She said: "It is making the pedestrian experience in that area of the city very hard.

"I don't understand why there is not a try to integrate it into the urban landscape or create something more aesthetic and cutting-edge."

Continued Work

A company representative said work on "measures to beautify the site" was in progress.

They added: "We recognize the frustrations felt by nearby inhabitants and enterprises.

"This has been a extended and complex process, highlighting the intricacy and size of the restoration required, however we are focused on completing this essential work as soon as is practicable."

Ms Meagher said the local authority would "continue to put pressure" on those accountable to complete the project.

She said: "This structure has been a problem for years, and I echo the frustration of inhabitants and nearby shops over these persistent hold-ups.

"However, I also appreciate that the contractor has a obligation to make the building secure and that this remediation has turned out to be hugely complex."