🔗 Share this article What's Happening with Edinburgh's Scaffolding-Clad Hotel? The metal framework encasing the hotel on a central thoroughfare may not be completely taken down until 2027. Along the most frequented avenues in the heart of Scotland's heritage-rich city centre looms a giant structure of construction framework. For the past 60 months, Radisson's G&V Hotel on the intersection of the famous Royal Mile and a major bridge has been a shrouded blight. Tourists find no available accommodations, foot traffic are funneled through confined passages, and establishments have left the building. Restoration efforts commenced in 2020 and was only expected to last a few months, but now exasperated residents have been told the structure could persist until 2027. Extended Timelines The main contractor, the main contractor, says it will be "towards the end" of 2026 before the initial parts of the scaffold can be removed. A local authority figure Jane Meagher has called it a "blight" on the area, while preservation advocates say the work is "very troublesome". What is happening with this apparently perpetual project? Scaffold-free - how the hotel looks without its covering on the brand's website. A Problematic Past The sizeable hotel was built on the site of the old Lothian Regional Council offices in 2009. Projections from when it initially debuted under the Missoni Hotel banner, put the build cost at about £30m. Construction activity got underway not long after the start of the global health crisis with the hotel itself not accepting visitors since 2022. A lane of traffic and a sizable stretch of footpath leading up to the intersection of the historic street have been rendered unusable by the work. Walkers going to and from the an adjacent district and another locale have been forced in a line into a tight, enclosed passage. A dining establishment a well-known restaurant departed from the building and moved to another city in 2024. In a release, its owners said the ongoing project had obliged them to change the restaurant's appearance, adding that "customers deserved better". It is also the location of popular eatery a chain – which has hung large notices on the framework to remind customers it is operating as usual. Photographs show the G&V Hotel being built in September 2008 (left) and the work beginning in 2020 (right). Slipped Schedules An update to the a local authority committee in early this year indicated that the process of "exposing" the exterior would start in February, with a full removal by the close of the year. But the contractor has said that is not the case, pointing to "extremely complex" structural challenges for the delay. "We anticipate starting to take down portions of the structure near the finish of the coming year, with subsequent enhancements ongoing after that," they said. "Efforts are underway closely with the relevant stakeholders to ensure we create an better site for the local area." Community and Heritage Concerns A heritage director, lead of preservation association the Cockburn Association, said the work had added to the city's reputation of being "protracted" for urban works. She said those working on the project had a "public duty" to lessen disturbance and should incorporate the work into the city's streetscape. She said: "It renders the experience for those on foot in that part of town exceptionally challenging. "I don't understand why there is not some attempt to bring it into the streetscape or develop something more aesthetic and innovative." Shoppers have been obliged to walk down a narrow enclosed walkway on a section of the road. Continued Work A company representative said work on "solutions to aesthetically improve the site" was in progress. They continued: "We recognize the annoyances felt by local residents and businesses. "This constitutes a lengthy and protracted process, reflecting the intricacy and magnitude of the repair work required, however we are committed to concluding this necessary work as soon as is practicable." The council leader said the local authority would "maintain pressure" on those responsible to finish the project. She said: "This structure has been a problem for years, and I echo the exasperation of locals and nearby shops over these persistent hold-ups. "That said, I also acknowledge that the contractor has a obligation to make the building secure and that this remediation has proved to be extremely complicated."