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

Positioned on the most popular thoroughfares in the heart of Scotland's historic capital sits a monolith of metal poles and platforms.

For the past 60 months, Radisson's G&V Hotel on the junction of the famous Royal Mile and a major bridge has been a covered eyesore.

Travellers find no available accommodations, walkers are directed through tight corridors, and businesses have vacated the building.

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

Further Delays

The construction firm, the lead company, says it will be "close to the conclusion" of 2026 before the first sections of the scaffold can be dismantled.

A local authority figure Jane Meagher has described it as a "eyesore" on the area, while conservationists say the work is "highly inconvenient".

What is happening with this seemingly endless project?

Background Issues

The 136-bedroom hotel was developed on the site of the previous local government offices in 2009.

Figures from when it first opened under the Missoni Hotel banner, put the build cost at about thirty million pounds.

Construction activity got underway shortly after the start of the global health crisis with the hotel itself shut for business since 2022.

A section of the street and a large section of sidewalk leading up to the junction of the Royal Mile have been closed off by the project.

Walkers going to and from the Lawnmarket and Victoria Terrace have been required in a line into a narrow, covered walkway.

Seafood restaurant a popular spot left the building and relocated to a different location in 2024.

In a statement, its operators said construction activity had compelled them to alter the restaurant's look, adding that "guests were entitled to a superior experience".

It is also the location of restaurant chain Pizza Express – which has placed large notices on the framework to inform customers it is open for business.

Missed Deadlines

An communication to the council's transport and environment committee in early this year suggested that the process of "revealing" the façade would begin in February, with a complete dismantling by the close of the year.

But SRM has said that will not happen, pointing to "highly complicated" building problems for the delay.

"We anticipate starting to dismantle parts of the framework near the finish of the coming year, with further improvements continuing thereafter," the company commented.

"Efforts are underway closely with the relevant stakeholders to ensure we deliver an improved site for the public."

Community and Heritage Concerns

Rowan Brown, director of conservation group the an advocacy group, said the work had added to the city's reputation of being "slow" for construction projects.

She said those involved in the project had a "obligation to the public" to lessen disturbance and should integrate the work into the city's aesthetic.

She said: "It renders the pedestrian experience in that section really difficult.

"It is puzzling why there is not an effort to integrate it into the urban landscape or produce something more artistic and avant-garde."

Project Response

A company representative said work on "ideas to aesthetically improve the site" was continuing.

They continued: "We recognize the irritations felt by local residents and businesses.

"This has been a long and drawn-out process, reflecting the complexity and magnitude of the remedial work required, however we are dedicated to finishing this necessary work as soon as is feasible."

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

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

"That said, I also acknowledge that the firm has a responsibility to make the building structurally sound and that this repair has been exceptionally difficult."