What's Happening with Edinburgh's Scaffold-Wrapped Hotel?

Positioned on the most popular thoroughfares in the centre of Scotland's heritage-rich city centre stands a giant structure of metal poles and platforms.

For five years, Radisson's G&V Hotel on the intersection of a key historic street and the adjacent bridge has been a shrouded blight.

Travellers cannot book rooms, walkers are squeezed through confined passages, and businesses have left the building.

Repair work started in 2020 and was initially projected to last a brief duration, but now frustrated residents have been told the structure could persist until 2027.

Prolonged Deadlines

The construction firm, the lead company, says it will be "near the finish" of 2026 before the first sections of the frame can be taken down.

A local authority figure a city representative has labeled it a "eyesore" on the area, while heritage campaigners say the work is "very troublesome".

What is happening with this seemingly endless project?

A Problematic Past

The sizeable hotel was developed on the site of the former regional authority offices in 2009.

Projections from when it first opened under the a fashion-branded banner, put the build cost at about £30m.

Work on the building got underway shortly after the start of the Covid pandemic with the hotel itself closed to guests since 2022.

A lane of traffic and a significant portion of sidewalk leading up to the junction of the tourist drag have been closed off by the project.

People on foot going to and from the an adjacent district and another locale have been forced single-file into a narrow, covered walkway.

An eatery a well-known restaurant departed from the building and moved to a different location in 2024.

In a release, its management said the ongoing project had obliged them to modify the restaurant's appearance, adding that "customers deserved better".

It is also hosts popular eatery a pizza restaurant – which has placed large banners on the framework to remind customers it is operating as usual.

Slipped Schedules

An update to the a city committee in January this year suggested that the process of "exposing" the façade would commence in February, with a total takedown by the year's end.

But the contractor has said that is incorrect, citing "highly complicated" construction issues for the setback.

"We anticipate starting to take down parts of the structure close to the conclusion of next year, with subsequent enhancements proceeding afterwards," they said.

"We are collaborating closely with the relevant stakeholders to ensure we provide an improved site for the local area."

Local and Conservation Frustration

A conservation official, head of conservation group the a local association, said the work had added to the city's reputation of being "slow" for development.

She said those involved in the project had a "public duty" to minimise disturbance and should integrate the work into the city's design.

She said: "It renders the pedestrian experience in that part of town really difficult.

"It is perplexing why there is not an effort to bring it into the street view or develop something more aesthetic and cutting-edge."

Continued Work

A project spokesperson said work on "solutions to beautify the site" was ongoing.

They continued: "We recognize the irritations felt by the community and enterprises.

"This constitutes a long and drawn-out process, reflecting the difficulty and scale of the repair work required, however we are dedicated to completing this necessary work as soon as is possible."

The council leader said the local authority would "keep applying pressure" on those accountable to wrap up the project.

She said: "This framework has been a negative presence for years, and I share the exasperation of inhabitants and local businesses over these ongoing postponements.

"That said, I also appreciate that the contractor has a responsibility to make the building structurally sound and that this repair has been extremely complicated."