The Situation with Edinburgh's Plastic-Shrouded Hotel?

On one of the busiest tourist streets in the centre of Scotland's heritage-rich city centre sits a giant structure of metal poles and platforms.

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

Travellers cannot book rooms, pedestrians are squeezed through tight corridors, and establishments have left the building.

Remedial work started in 2020 and was initially projected to last a few months, but now frustrated residents have been told the scaffolding could remain until 2027.

Further Delays

Sir Robert McAlpine (SRM), the primary firm, says it will be "near the finish" of 2026 before the initial parts of the scaffold can be removed.

A local authority figure a council official has described it as a "blight" on the area, while heritage campaigners say the work is "very troublesome".

What is going on with this apparently perpetual project?

Background Issues

The sizeable hotel was constructed on the site of the previous Lothian Regional Council offices in 2009.

Projections from when it initially debuted under the a designer banner, put the cost of construction at about a significant sum.

Remedial efforts started shortly after the start of the global health crisis with the hotel itself closed to guests since 2022.

A lane of traffic and a large section of sidewalk leading up to the junction of the historic street have been rendered unusable by the development.

People on foot going to and from the a nearby area and a neighboring street have been forced single-file into a narrow, covered walkway.

A dining establishment a well-known restaurant left the building and moved to a different location in 2024.

In a release, its operators said the ongoing project had compelled them to change the restaurant's facade, adding that "patrons merited more".

It is also the location of dining franchise a chain – which has placed large notices on the scaffold to notify customers it is operating as usual.

Slipped Schedules

An report to the a local authority committee in January this year indicated that the process of "exposing" the frontage would begin in February, with a complete dismantling by the close of the year.

But SRM has said that will not happen, citing "highly complicated" construction issues for the postponement.

"We project starting to take down portions of the structure towards the end of 2026, with additional work proceeding afterwards," the company commented.

"Efforts are underway closely with the relevant stakeholders to ensure we create an better site for the public."

Community and Heritage Concerns

Rowan Brown, head of preservation association the a local association, said the work had contributed to the city's reputation of being "leisurely" for urban works.

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

She said: "It renders the experience for those on foot in that part of town very hard.

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

Ongoing Efforts

A official statement said work on "solutions to aesthetically improve the site" was in progress.

They continued: "We acknowledge the frustrations felt by the community and shops.

"This constitutes a long and drawn-out process, reflecting the intricacy and magnitude of the remedial work required, however we are dedicated to concluding this vital work as soon as is possible."

The official said the council would "continue to put pressure" on those responsible to finish the project.

She said: "This scaffolding has been a blight for years, and I understand the exasperation of inhabitants and area enterprises over these ongoing postponements.

"Nonetheless, I also recognize that the company has a obligation to make the building safe and that this restoration has turned out to be extremely complicated."