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Along the most frequented avenues in the core of Scotland's historic capital looms a monolith of metal poles and platforms.

For five years, a prominent hotel on the intersection of a key historic street and a major bridge has been a shrouded blight.

Visitors are unable to reserve stays, walkers are directed through tight corridors, and establishments have vacated the building.

Restoration efforts began in 2020 and was originally estimated to last a few months, but now exasperated residents have been told the framework could persist until 2027.

Prolonged Deadlines

Sir Robert McAlpine (SRM), the lead company, says it will be "close to the conclusion" of 2026 before the earliest portions of the scaffold can be removed.

The city's political leader a council official has called it a "eyesore" on the area, while heritage campaigners say the work is "extremely disruptive".

What is going on with this apparently perpetual project?

A Problematic Past

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

Figures from when it first opened under the a fashion-branded banner, put the build cost at about thirty million pounds.

Construction activity began soon after the start of the coronavirus outbreak with the hotel itself closed to guests since 2022.

A lane of traffic and a large section of sidewalk leading up to the corner of the Royal Mile have been closed off by the project.

Pedestrians going to and from the Lawnmarket and another locale have been required one after another into a tight, enclosed passage.

An eatery Ondine left the building and moved to St Andrews in Fife in 2024.

In a release, its management said construction activity had forced them to change the restaurant's facade, adding that "customers deserved better".

It is also the location of restaurant chain Pizza Express – which has displayed large signs on the framework to inform customers it is operating as usual.

Slipped Schedules

An communication to the a city committee in the start of the year indicated that the process of "revealing" the frontage would begin in February, with a complete dismantling by the close of the year.

But the firm has said that will not happen, citing "highly complicated" structural challenges for the postponement.

"We project starting to remove portions of the scaffold close to the conclusion of the coming year, with subsequent enhancements continuing thereafter," the company commented.

"We are collaborating closely with the relevant stakeholders to ensure we deliver an improved site for the public."

Community and Heritage Concerns

A heritage director, lead of preservation association the a local association, said the work had added to the city's reputation of being "leisurely" for development.

She said those associated with the project had a "civic responsibility" to minimise disruption and should incorporate the work into the city's aesthetic.

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

"I don't understand why there is not an effort to incorporate it within the urban landscape or create something more creative and cutting-edge."

Project Response

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

They continued: "We acknowledge the annoyances felt by local residents and businesses.

"This has been a long and drawn-out process, demonstrating the difficulty and scale of the restoration required, however we are dedicated to concluding this vital work as soon as is feasible."

Ms Meagher said the local authority would "keep applying pressure" on those involved to wrap up the project.

She said: "This scaffolding has been a negative presence for years, and I share the exasperation of locals and area enterprises over these ongoing postponements.

"However, I also appreciate that the firm has a obligation to make the building safe and that this repair has turned out to be exceptionally difficult."