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On one of the busiest tourist streets in the core of Scotland's heritage-rich city centre looms a imposing sight of scaffolding.

For the past 60 months, the establishment on the corner of a key historic street and George IV Bridge has been a plastic-wrapped eyesore.

Travellers cannot book rooms, pedestrians are funneled through confined passages, and commercial tenants have vacated the building.

Repair work started in 2020 and was originally estimated to last a brief duration, but now frustrated residents have been told the framework could remain until 2027.

Further Delays

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

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

What is transpiring with this apparently perpetual project?

A Problematic Past

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

Estimates from when it initially debuted under the a designer banner, put the build cost at about £30m.

Work on the building got underway shortly after the start of the coronavirus outbreak with the hotel itself shut for business since 2022.

A lane of traffic and a large section of pavement leading up to the junction of the Royal Mile have been rendered unusable by the work.

Pedestrians going to and from the an adjacent district and Victoria Terrace have been required in a line into a narrow, covered walkway.

An eatery Ondine quit the building and relocated to another city in 2024.

In a release, its operators said building work had forced them to alter the restaurant's facade, adding that "patrons merited more".

It is also hosts popular eatery a pizza restaurant – which has hung large banners on the framework to remind customers it is open for business.

Delayed Plans

An communication to the a city committee in the start of the year indicated that the process of "revealing" the exterior would start in February, with a total takedown by the end of the year.

But the contractor has said that will not happen, referencing "highly complicated" structural challenges for the setback.

"We anticipate starting to take down parts of the structure close to the conclusion of 2026, with subsequent enhancements continuing thereafter," they said.

"We are collaborating closely with everyone involved to ensure we create an better site for the public."

Community and Heritage Concerns

A conservation official, lead of preservation association the a local association, said the work had contributed to the city's reputation of being "slow" for urban works.

She said those associated with the project had a "obligation to the public" to lessen disruption and should integrate the work into the city's streetscape.

She said: "It causes the experience for those on foot in that area of the city very hard.

"I don't understand why there is not an effort to bring it into the streetscape or produce something more aesthetic and avant-garde."

Ongoing Efforts

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

They added: "We acknowledge the irritations felt by nearby inhabitants and shops.

"This has been a lengthy and protracted process, demonstrating the intricacy and magnitude of the restoration required, however we are focused on concluding this essential work as soon as is possible."

The official said the city would "keep applying pressure" on those involved to complete the project.

She said: "This scaffolding has been a problem for years, and I share the annoyance of residents and area enterprises over these persistent hold-ups.

"Nonetheless, I also recognize that the company has a obligation to make the building structurally sound and that this remediation has turned out to be exceptionally difficult."