🔗 Share this article

On one of the busiest tourist streets in the centre of Scotland's historic capital sits a imposing sight of metal poles and platforms.

For the past 60 months, a prominent hotel on the junction of a key historic street and a major bridge has been a shrouded blight.

Visitors find no available accommodations, walkers are funneled through confined passages, and establishments have vacated the building.

Remedial work began in 2020 and was only expected to last a few months, but now exasperated residents have been told the scaffolding could remain until 2027.

Extended Timelines

Sir Robert McAlpine (SRM), the lead company, says it will be "towards the end" of 2026 before the initial parts of the frame can be dismantled.

Edinburgh's council leader a council official has labeled it a "blight" on the area, while heritage campaigners say the work is "extremely disruptive".

What is happening with this seemingly endless project?

Background Issues

The establishment with 136 rooms was constructed on the site of the former regional authority offices in 2009.

Projections from when it first opened under the Missoni Hotel banner, put the cost of construction at about thirty million pounds.

Remedial efforts started soon after the start of the global health crisis with the hotel itself closed to guests since 2022.

A section of the street and a significant portion of pavement leading up to the intersection of the tourist drag have been left out of action by the development.

Walkers going to and from the Lawnmarket and another locale have been compelled single-file into a confined, sheltered corridor.

A dining establishment a well-known restaurant quit the building and transferred to another city in 2024.

In a release, its management said the ongoing project had compelled them to change the restaurant's facade, adding that "patrons merited more".

It is also home to dining franchise a pizza restaurant – which has displayed large banners on the scaffold to remind customers it is open for business.

Missed Deadlines

An update to the a city committee in the start of the year indicated that the process of "revealing" the exterior would begin in February, with a full removal by the end of the year.

But the contractor has said that is not the case, citing "exceptionally intricate" structural challenges for the delay.

"We anticipate starting to take down sections of the scaffold close to the conclusion of the coming year, with subsequent enhancements ongoing after that," the company commented.

"We are working closely with all parties to ensure we deliver an enhanced site for the local area."

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 construction projects.

She said those working on the project had a "obligation to the public" to lessen disruption and should blend the work into the city's design.

She said: "It renders the pedestrian experience in that part of town very hard.

"It is puzzling why there is not a try to incorporate it within the streetscape or create something more artistic and innovative."

Project Response

A project spokesperson said work on "solutions to enhance the appearance the site" was continuing.

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

"This represents a long and drawn-out process, highlighting the intricacy and magnitude of the restoration required, however we are committed to completing this necessary work as soon as is practicable."

Ms Meagher said the local authority would "continue to put pressure" on those accountable to complete the project.

She said: "This structure has been a blight for years, and I share the frustration of locals and local businesses over these continued delays.

"That said, I also acknowledge that the firm has a responsibility to make the building safe and that this repair has been hugely complex."