The Ongoing Issue with Edinburgh's Plastic-Shrouded Hotel?

Positioned on the busiest tourist streets in the centre of Scotland's heritage-rich city centre sits a monolith of scaffolding.

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

Visitors are unable to reserve stays, walkers are funneled through narrow walkways, and businesses have left the building.

Restoration efforts commenced in 2020 and was initially projected to last a few months, but now exasperated residents have been told the framework could remain until 2027.

Further Delays

Sir Robert McAlpine (SRM), the main contractor, says it will be "close to the conclusion" of 2026 before the first sections of the frame can be dismantled.

The city's political leader a city representative has described it as a "eyesore" on the area, while preservation advocates say the work is "very troublesome".

What is happening with this apparently perpetual project?

A Problematic Past

The 136-bedroom hotel was constructed on the site of the previous regional authority offices in 2009.

Estimates from when it first opened under the a designer banner, put the development expense at about thirty million pounds.

Construction activity got underway not long after the start of the coronavirus outbreak with the hotel itself shut for business since 2022.

A section of the street and a sizable stretch of footpath leading up to the corner of the historic street have been rendered unusable by the work.

Pedestrians going to and from the an adjacent district and another locale have been required one after another into a confined, sheltered corridor.

An eatery Ondine departed from the building and relocated to a different location in 2024.

In a comment, its operators said the ongoing project had obliged them to alter the restaurant's facade, adding that "customers deserved better".

It is also the location of dining franchise a chain – which has hung large signs on the framework to remind customers it is still open.

Slipped Schedules

An report to the a city committee in January this year stated that the process of "uncovering" the frontage would commence in February, with a complete dismantling by the close of the year.

But the contractor has said that will not happen, referencing "highly complicated" structural challenges for the delay.

"We expect starting to take down parts of the structure towards the end of the coming year, with additional work continuing thereafter," the company commented.

"We are working closely with everyone involved to ensure we create an improved site for the local area."

Local and Conservation Frustration

Rowan Brown, 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 working on the project had a "obligation to the public" to lessen inconvenience and should integrate the work into the city's aesthetic.

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

"It is perplexing why there is not some attempt to bring it into the urban landscape or develop something more creative and avant-garde."

Project Response

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

They stated: "We recognize the irritations felt by nearby inhabitants and shops.

"This represents a extended and complex process, highlighting the intricacy and size of the restoration required, however we are focused on finishing this necessary work as soon as is possible."

The official said the local authority would "keep applying pressure" on those involved to finish the project.

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

"That said, I also acknowledge that the contractor has a duty to make the building safe and that this repair has proved to be exceptionally difficult."