What's Happening with Edinburgh's Scaffold-Wrapped Hotel?

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

Tourists cannot book rooms, foot traffic are funneled through narrow walkways, and establishments have abandoned the building.

Repair work commenced in 2020 and was initially projected to last a short period, but now frustrated residents have been told the structure could persist until 2027.

Prolonged Deadlines

Sir Robert McAlpine (SRM), the lead company, says it will be "near the finish" of 2026 before the earliest portions of the scaffold can be taken down.

A local authority figure a council official has labeled it a "negative feature" on the area, while heritage campaigners say the work is "highly inconvenient".

What is going on with this notoriously protracted project?

A Problematic Past

The sizeable hotel was constructed on the site of the former local government offices in 2009.

Estimates from when it initially debuted under the a designer banner, put the development expense at about £30m.

Work on the building started shortly 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 sidewalk leading up to the junction of the tourist drag have been closed off by the development.

Pedestrians going to and from the Lawnmarket and a neighboring street have been compelled one after another into a tight, enclosed passage.

Seafood restaurant a well-known restaurant departed from the building and moved to a different location in 2024.

In a statement, its operators said construction activity had obliged them to modify the restaurant's appearance, adding that "customers deserved better".

It is also hosts popular eatery a pizza restaurant – which has displayed large notices on the structure to remind customers it is open for business.

Delayed Plans

An report to the council's transport and environment committee in January this year suggested that the process of "revealing" the frontage would begin in February, with a complete dismantling by the year's end.

But the firm has said that is incorrect, pointing to "exceptionally intricate" building problems for the delay.

"We anticipate starting to take down parts of the scaffold towards the end of the coming year, with subsequent enhancements continuing thereafter," they said.

"We are collaborating closely with all parties to ensure we create an improved site for the local area."

Local and Conservation Frustration

A conservation official, director of conservation group the a local association, said the work had reinforced the city's reputation of being "slow" for development.

She said those involved in the project had a "obligation to the public" to reduce inconvenience and should incorporate the work into the city's design.

She said: "It is making the experience for those on foot in that section exceptionally challenging.

"I don't understand why there is not a try to integrate it into the urban landscape or create something more creative and innovative."

Continued Work

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

They stated: "We recognize the frustrations felt by the community and businesses.

"This represents a lengthy and protracted process, highlighting the difficulty and magnitude of the remedial work required, however we are committed to concluding this vital work as soon as is possible."

Ms Meagher said the council would "maintain pressure" on those accountable to finish the project.

She said: "This structure has been a negative presence for years, and I share the exasperation of inhabitants and local businesses over these continued delays.

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