🔗 Share this article

Positioned on the most frequented avenues 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 junction of Edinburgh's Royal Mile and George IV Bridge has been a shrouded blight.

Travellers cannot book rooms, walkers are funneled through tight corridors, and commercial tenants have vacated the building.

Restoration efforts started in 2020 and was initially projected to last a brief duration, but now fed-up residents have been told the framework could remain until 2027.

Extended Timelines

The main contractor, the main contractor, says it will be "close to the conclusion" of 2026 before the first sections of the scaffold can be taken down.

The city's political leader Jane Meagher has labeled it a "eyesore" on the area, while conservationists say the work is "extremely disruptive".

What is transpiring with this notoriously protracted project?

Background Issues

The sizeable hotel was developed on the site of the old local government offices in 2009.

Estimates from when it originally launched under the a fashion-branded banner, put the cost of construction at about £30m.

Work on the building started not long after the start of the coronavirus outbreak with the hotel itself closed to guests since 2022.

Part of the road and a large section of footpath leading up to the junction of the tourist drag have been left out of action by the development.

People on foot going to and from the a nearby area and a neighboring street have been forced single-file into a narrow, covered walkway.

Seafood restaurant a well-known restaurant departed from the building and transferred to St Andrews in Fife in 2024.

In a statement, its management said construction activity had obliged them to change the restaurant's facade, adding that "customers deserved better".

It is also the location of restaurant chain a pizza restaurant – which has placed large banners on the scaffold to inform customers it is operating as usual.

Delayed Plans

An update to the council's transport and environment committee in January this year stated that the process of "uncovering" the exterior would start in February, with a full removal by the end of the year.

But the firm has said that is not the case, citing "exceptionally intricate" construction issues for the delay.

"We expect starting to remove sections of the scaffold towards the end of the coming year, with additional work proceeding afterwards," they said.

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

Community and Heritage Concerns

A heritage director, lead of conservation group the Cockburn Association, said the work had added to the city's reputation of being "leisurely" for development.

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

She said: "It causes the experience for those on foot in that part of town really difficult.

"It is puzzling why there is not an effort to incorporate it within the urban landscape or produce something more aesthetic and avant-garde."

Project Response

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

They continued: "We understand the frustrations felt by nearby inhabitants and enterprises.

"This has been a extended and complex process, highlighting the intricacy and magnitude of the repair work required, however we are focused on concluding this essential work as soon as is possible."

The council leader said the council would "continue to put pressure" on those responsible to finish the project.

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

"However, I also appreciate that the contractor has a obligation to make the building structurally sound and that this remediation has turned out to be hugely complex."