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Along the busiest tourist streets in the heart of Scotland's historic capital stands a giant structure of metal poles and platforms.

For the past 60 months, a prominent hotel on the corner of Edinburgh's Royal Mile and a major bridge has been a covered eyesore.

Travellers find no available accommodations, walkers are funneled through narrow walkways, and establishments have abandoned the building.

Remedial work began in 2020 and was initially projected to last a short period, but now fed-up residents have been told the structure could remain until 2027.

Extended Timelines

The construction firm, the lead company, says it will be "close to the conclusion" of 2026 before the earliest portions of the structure can be removed.

A local authority figure a council official has labeled it a "blight" on the area, while heritage campaigners say the work is "extremely disruptive".

What is going on with this apparently perpetual project?

A Problematic Past

The sizeable hotel was constructed on the site of the former 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.

Construction activity began not long after the start of the global health crisis with the hotel itself closed to guests since 2022.

A lane of traffic and a significant portion of footpath leading up to the junction of the Royal Mile have been rendered unusable by the project.

Pedestrians going to and from the a nearby area and a neighboring street have been forced in a line into a confined, sheltered corridor.

Seafood restaurant Ondine quit the building and moved to a different location in 2024.

In a release, its management said building work had obliged them to modify the restaurant's facade, adding that "guests were entitled to a superior experience".

It is also hosts dining franchise a chain – which has hung large signs on the scaffold to notify customers it is still open.

Slipped Schedules

An report to the council's transport and environment committee in early this year indicated that the process of "uncovering" the exterior would start in February, with a full removal by the close of the year.

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

"We project starting to remove parts of the framework near the finish of the coming year, with further improvements ongoing after that," they said.

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

Local and Conservation Frustration

A heritage director, lead of conservation group the Cockburn Association, said the work had contributed to the city's reputation of being "protracted" for urban works.

She said those working on the project had a "civic responsibility" to lessen disturbance and should blend the work into the city's streetscape.

She said: "It causes the walking experience in that part of town very hard.

"I don't understand why there is not a try to integrate it into the urban landscape or produce something more artistic and avant-garde."

Continued Work

A project spokesperson said work on "solutions to beautify the site" was continuing.

They stated: "We recognize the irritations felt by local residents and enterprises.

"This represents a extended and complex process, demonstrating the intricacy and magnitude of the repair work required, however we are dedicated to completing this necessary work as soon as is possible."

Ms Meagher said the city would "maintain pressure" on those responsible to complete the project.

She said: "This scaffolding has been a blight for years, and I share the exasperation of locals and local businesses over these persistent hold-ups.

"However, I also recognize that the contractor has a responsibility to make the building safe and that this remediation has been extremely complicated."