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Positioned on the busiest tourist streets in the centre of Scotland's ancient city sits a giant structure of metal poles and platforms.

For five years, Radisson's G&V Hotel on the corner of a key historic street and a major bridge has been a covered eyesore.

Travellers are unable to reserve stays, pedestrians are funneled through narrow walkways, and businesses have vacated the building.

Repair work started in 2020 and was only expected to last a few months, but now exasperated residents have been told the structure could stay in place until 2027.

Extended Timelines

The construction firm, the lead company, says it will be "towards the end" of 2026 before the first sections of the scaffold can be removed.

Edinburgh's council leader Jane Meagher has described it as a "blight" on the area, while conservationists say the work is "very troublesome".

What is happening with this notoriously protracted project?

A Troubled History

The sizeable hotel was built on the site of the old Lothian Regional Council offices in 2009.

Estimates from when it initially debuted under the a designer banner, put the development expense at about a significant sum.

Remedial efforts began soon after the start of the global health crisis with the hotel itself shut for business since 2022.

Part of the road and a sizable stretch of footpath leading up to the junction of the tourist drag have been left out of action by the work.

Pedestrians going to and from the Lawnmarket and another locale have been compelled one after another into a narrow, covered walkway.

An eatery Ondine departed from the building and moved to another city in 2024.

In a release, its operators said construction activity had compelled them to alter the restaurant's facade, adding that "patrons merited more".

It is also hosts popular eatery Pizza Express – which has displayed large banners on the structure to notify customers it is still open.

Delayed Plans

An report to the a local authority committee in early this year indicated that the process of "revealing" the frontage would start in February, with a total takedown by the year's end.

But the firm has said that is not the case, referencing "exceptionally intricate" structural challenges for the delay.

"We anticipate starting to take down sections of the structure near the finish of the coming year, with additional work continuing thereafter," a statement read.

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

Local and Conservation Frustration

Rowan Brown, head of preservation association the Cockburn Association, said the work had added to the city's reputation of being "slow" for development.

She said those involved in the project had a "public duty" to reduce inconvenience and should blend the work into the city's streetscape.

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

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

Ongoing Efforts

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

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

"This constitutes a extended and complex process, highlighting the difficulty and scale of the repair work required, however we are focused on finishing this essential work as soon as is practicable."

The official said the council would "maintain pressure" on those responsible to finish the project.

She said: "This structure has been a blight for years, and I echo the annoyance of locals and area enterprises over these ongoing postponements.

"That said, I also recognize that the firm has a responsibility to make the building structurally sound and that this repair has proved to be hugely complex."