🔗 Share this article

On one of the most popular thoroughfares in the core of Scotland's heritage-rich city centre looms a monolith of metal poles and platforms.

For half a decade, a prominent hotel on the corner of a key historic street and the adjacent bridge has been a plastic-wrapped eyesore.

Travellers are unable to reserve stays, walkers are squeezed through narrow walkways, and establishments have abandoned the building.

Repair work started in 2020 and was originally estimated to last a brief duration, but now exasperated residents have been told the framework could persist until 2027.

Extended Timelines

Sir Robert McAlpine (SRM), the primary firm, says it will be "towards the end" of 2026 before the first sections of the structure can be removed.

The city's political leader Jane Meagher has called it a "negative feature" on the area, while heritage campaigners say the work is "highly inconvenient".

What is going on with this seemingly endless project?

A Troubled History

The establishment with 136 rooms was constructed on the site of the previous Lothian Regional Council offices in 2009.

Figures from when it originally launched under the a designer banner, put the build cost at about thirty million pounds.

Construction activity started soon after the start of the Covid pandemic with the hotel itself closed to guests since 2022.

A section of the street and a significant portion of pavement leading up to the corner of the Royal Mile have been rendered unusable by the work.

People on foot going to and from the a nearby area and Victoria Terrace have been forced one after another into a confined, sheltered corridor.

Seafood restaurant Ondine quit the building and moved to a different location in 2024.

In a statement, its operators said construction activity had obliged them to alter the restaurant's facade, adding that "patrons merited more".

It is also home to dining franchise Pizza Express – which has displayed large notices on the framework to inform customers it is still open.

Slipped Schedules

An update to the a local authority committee in early this year stated that the process of "revealing" the façade would start in February, with a full removal by the close of the year.

But the contractor has said that will not happen, pointing to "exceptionally intricate" building problems for the setback.

"We anticipate starting to take down portions of the framework close to the conclusion of the coming year, with further improvements ongoing after that," a statement read.

"We are working closely with all parties to ensure we create an better site for the community."

Local and Conservation Frustration

Rowan Brown, head of preservation association the an advocacy group, said the work had reinforced the city's reputation of being "leisurely" for urban works.

She said those associated with the project had a "civic responsibility" to lessen disruption and should blend the work into the city's design.

She said: "It causes the experience for those on foot in that area of the city very hard.

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

Project Response

A company representative said work on "measures to aesthetically improve the site" was in progress.

They added: "We acknowledge the annoyances felt by the community and businesses.

"This represents a extended and complex process, reflecting the complexity and size of the restoration required, however we are committed to concluding this essential work as soon as is feasible."

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

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

"That said, I also recognize that the company has a responsibility to make the building structurally sound and that this remediation has turned out to be exceptionally difficult."