The Situation with Edinburgh's Plastic-Shrouded Hotel?

On one of the most popular thoroughfares in the core of Scotland's ancient city looms a imposing sight of scaffolding.

For the past 60 months, Radisson's G&V Hotel on the intersection of the famous Royal Mile and George IV Bridge has been a shrouded blight.

Travellers find no available accommodations, walkers are squeezed through confined passages, and businesses have vacated the building.

Remedial work started in 2020 and was only expected to last a brief duration, but now frustrated residents have been told the scaffolding could remain until 2027.

Prolonged Deadlines

Sir Robert McAlpine (SRM), the primary firm, says it will be "towards the end" of 2026 before the earliest portions of the scaffold can be taken down.

A local authority figure a council official has called it a "blight" on the area, while preservation advocates say the work is "very troublesome".

What is happening with this apparently perpetual project?

A Troubled History

The sizeable hotel was constructed on the site of the former regional authority offices in 2009.

Figures from when it originally launched under the Missoni Hotel banner, put the cost of construction at about £30m.

Remedial efforts 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 sizable stretch of sidewalk leading up to the corner of the tourist drag have been left out of action by the work.

Walkers going to and from the a nearby area and Victoria Terrace have been compelled in a line into a confined, sheltered corridor.

Seafood restaurant a well-known restaurant departed from the building and transferred to another city in 2024.

In a release, its owners said the ongoing project had obliged them to change the restaurant's facade, adding that "customers deserved better".

It is also home to popular eatery Pizza Express – which has displayed large banners on the structure to inform customers it is open for business.

Slipped Schedules

An communication to the a city committee in January this year suggested that the process of "uncovering" the frontage would begin in February, with a total takedown by the year's end.

But the contractor has said that is not the case, pointing to "highly complicated" structural challenges for the delay.

"We project starting to remove parts of the structure near the finish of next year, with additional work ongoing after that," a statement read.

"We are working closely with the relevant stakeholders to ensure we deliver an better site for the local area."

Community and Heritage Concerns

A conservation official, head of conservation group 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 "civic responsibility" to lessen disruption and should integrate the work into the city's streetscape.

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

"It is perplexing why there is not an effort to incorporate it within the streetscape or produce something more creative and cutting-edge."

Project Response

A company representative said work on "ideas to beautify the site" was in progress.

They added: "We understand the frustrations felt by local residents and businesses.

"This has been a long and drawn-out process, highlighting the difficulty and scale of the repair work required, however we are committed to finishing this vital work as soon as is possible."

The official said the city would "continue to put pressure" on those involved to wrap up the project.

She said: "This framework has been a problem for years, and I echo the annoyance of residents and nearby shops over these continued delays.

"That said, I also recognize that the company has a obligation to make the building safe and that this repair has proved to be exceptionally difficult."