🔗 Share this article

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

For the past 60 months, the establishment on the junction of the famous Royal Mile and the adjacent bridge has been a plastic-wrapped eyesore.

Travellers are unable to reserve stays, walkers are squeezed through confined passages, 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 persist until 2027.

Further Delays

The main contractor, the lead company, says it will be "close to the conclusion" of 2026 before the earliest portions of the scaffold can be removed.

The city's political leader Jane Meagher has described it as a "negative feature" on the area, while heritage campaigners say the work is "highly inconvenient".

What is going on with this notoriously protracted project?

A Troubled History

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

Figures from when it originally launched under the Missoni Hotel banner, put the development expense at about £30m.

Construction activity started not long after the start of the coronavirus outbreak with the hotel itself shut for business since 2022.

A lane of traffic and a significant portion of footpath leading up to the corner of the tourist drag have been closed off by the work.

Pedestrians going to and from the a nearby area and Victoria Terrace have been compelled one after another into a narrow, covered walkway.

A dining establishment a popular spot quit the building and moved to St Andrews in Fife in 2024.

In a statement, its management said building work had compelled them to change the restaurant's look, adding that "guests were entitled to a superior experience".

It is also the location of popular eatery Pizza Express – which has hung large notices on the framework to inform customers it is operating as usual.

Missed Deadlines

An communication to the council's transport and environment committee in the start of the year indicated that the process of "revealing" the exterior would start in February, with a complete dismantling by the year's end.

But the contractor has said that is incorrect, pointing to "highly complicated" building problems for the postponement.

"We anticipate starting to dismantle sections of the framework close to the conclusion of the coming year, with subsequent enhancements ongoing after that," a statement read.

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

Community and Heritage Concerns

Rowan Brown, lead of heritage body the Cockburn Association, said the work had reinforced the city's reputation of being "slow" for construction projects.

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

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

"It is perplexing why there is not an effort to bring it into the street view or develop something more artistic and cutting-edge."

Project Response

A official statement said work on "solutions to beautify the site" was ongoing.

They added: "We understand the annoyances felt by nearby inhabitants and shops.

"This represents a long and drawn-out process, reflecting the complexity and scale of the restoration required, however we are dedicated to concluding this necessary work as soon as is possible."

The council leader said the local authority would "keep applying pressure" on those accountable to complete the project.

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

"That said, I also acknowledge that the firm has a duty to make the building structurally sound and that this remediation has proved to be exceptionally difficult."