🔗 Share this article The Ongoing Issue with Edinburgh's Scaffolding-Clad Hotel? The metal framework encasing the hotel on a major city bridge may not be fully removed until 2027. Positioned on the busiest tourist streets in the centre of Scotland's heritage-rich city centre sits a giant structure of construction framework. For half a decade, the establishment on the corner of the famous Royal Mile and George IV Bridge has been a plastic-wrapped eyesore. Tourists find no available accommodations, foot traffic are squeezed through narrow walkways, and establishments have vacated the building. Restoration efforts began in 2020 and was only expected to last a few months, but now frustrated residents have been told the structure could remain until 2027. Extended Timelines Sir Robert McAlpine (SRM), the lead company, says it will be "towards the end" of 2026 before the earliest portions of the structure can be taken down. A local authority figure Jane Meagher has described it as a "blight" on the area, while heritage campaigners say the work is "extremely disruptive". What is happening with this apparently perpetual project? Unwrapped - how the hotel is presented in its intended state on the hotel's website. A Troubled History The establishment with 136 rooms was constructed on the site of the former Lothian Regional Council offices in 2009. Estimates from when it originally launched under the a designer banner, put the development expense at about thirty million pounds. Construction activity got underway shortly after the start of the coronavirus outbreak with the hotel itself closed to guests since 2022. Part of the road and a sizable stretch of pavement leading up to the intersection of the tourist drag have been rendered unusable by the work. People on foot going to and from the an adjacent district and Victoria Terrace have been compelled one after another into a confined, sheltered corridor. A dining establishment Ondine left the building and relocated to another city in 2024. In a comment, its owners said the ongoing project had forced them to change the restaurant's look, adding that "guests were entitled to a superior experience". It is also the location of dining franchise a pizza restaurant – which has hung large notices on the scaffold to inform customers it is operating as usual. Images show the G&V Hotel under construction in September 2008 (left) and the scaffolding beginning in 2020 (right). Missed Deadlines An communication to the a city committee in early this year indicated that the process of "exposing" the frontage would begin in February, with a full removal by the close of the year. But the firm has said that will not happen, citing "highly complicated" structural challenges for the delay. "We expect starting to dismantle portions of the structure near the finish of the coming year, with subsequent enhancements proceeding afterwards," the company commented. "We are working closely with the relevant stakeholders to ensure we provide an better site for the local area." Local and Conservation Frustration Rowan Brown, head of conservation group the Cockburn Association, said the work had reinforced the city's reputation of being "slow" for development. She said those working on the project had a "civic responsibility" to reduce disturbance and should incorporate the work into the city's design. She said: "It renders the pedestrian experience in that section really difficult. "It is perplexing why there is not an effort to bring it into the streetscape or create something more aesthetic and innovative." Shoppers have been obliged to walk down a tight covered walkway on a section of the road. Continued Work A official statement said work on "solutions to aesthetically improve the site" was continuing. They stated: "We acknowledge the annoyances felt by nearby inhabitants and businesses. "This has been a long and drawn-out process, demonstrating the difficulty and magnitude of the repair work required, however we are focused on finishing this vital work as soon as is possible." The official said the city would "continue to put pressure" on those responsible to complete the project. She said: "This structure has been a blight for years, and I share the annoyance of residents and area enterprises over these continued delays. "However, I also acknowledge that the company has a responsibility to make the building secure and that this repair has been extremely complicated."