🔗 Share this article

Positioned on the most frequented avenues in the heart of Scotland's heritage-rich city centre looms a giant structure of construction framework.

For five years, Radisson's G&V Hotel on the junction of a key historic street and George IV Bridge has been a covered eyesore.

Visitors are unable to reserve stays, pedestrians are funneled through tight corridors, and businesses have left the building.

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

Extended Timelines

The construction firm, the primary firm, says it will be "near the finish" of 2026 before the initial parts of the frame can be removed.

The city's political leader a council official has labeled it a "blight" on the area, while preservation advocates say the work is "highly inconvenient".

What is going on with this seemingly endless project?

A Troubled History

The 136-bedroom hotel was constructed on the site of the old local government offices in 2009.

Figures from when it originally launched under the a fashion-branded banner, put the development expense at about a significant sum.

Work on the building started soon after the start of the global health crisis with the hotel itself shut for business since 2022.

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

Walkers going to and from the an adjacent district and another locale have been forced one after another into a tight, enclosed passage.

An eatery Ondine quit the building and transferred to St Andrews in Fife in 2024.

In a release, its management said construction activity had forced them to alter the restaurant's facade, adding that "customers deserved better".

It is also the location of dining franchise a pizza restaurant – which has placed large notices on the scaffold to notify customers it is still open.

Slipped Schedules

An update to the a city committee in the start of the year stated that the process of "exposing" the exterior would start in February, with a complete dismantling by the year's end.

But the contractor has said that is not the case, citing "extremely complex" building problems for the postponement.

"We anticipate starting to remove portions of the scaffold towards the end of the coming year, with further improvements continuing thereafter," they said.

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

Community and Heritage Concerns

A heritage director, director of preservation association the an advocacy group, said the work had reinforced the city's reputation of being "protracted" for development.

She said those associated with the project had a "public duty" to lessen disturbance and should integrate the work into the city's design.

She said: "It is making the pedestrian experience in that section really difficult.

"It is perplexing why there is not a try to incorporate it within the streetscape or create something more creative and avant-garde."

Ongoing Efforts

A company representative said work on "measures to beautify the site" was ongoing.

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

"This has been a extended and complex process, reflecting the difficulty and scale of the repair work required, however we are committed to finishing this essential work as soon as is practicable."

The official said the city would "continue to put pressure" on those responsible to complete the project.

She said: "This scaffolding has been a negative presence for years, and I share the exasperation of locals and area enterprises over these persistent hold-ups.

"Nonetheless, I also recognize that the firm has a obligation to make the building structurally sound and that this remediation has turned out to be extremely complicated."