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On one of the most popular thoroughfares in the core of Scotland's heritage-rich city centre stands a giant structure of metal poles and platforms.

For half a decade, a prominent hotel on the junction of a key historic street and a major bridge has been a plastic-wrapped eyesore.

Travellers find no available accommodations, foot traffic are directed through tight corridors, and businesses have left the building.

Restoration efforts commenced in 2020 and was originally estimated to last a few months, but now fed-up residents have been told the structure could persist until 2027.

Prolonged Deadlines

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.

The city's political leader a city representative has described it as a "eyesore" on the area, while preservation advocates say the work is "very troublesome".

What is happening with this apparently perpetual project?

A Troubled History

The 136-bedroom hotel was developed on the site of the previous Lothian Regional Council offices in 2009.

Projections from when it initially debuted under the a fashion-branded banner, put the build cost at about thirty million pounds.

Work on the building got underway not long after the start of the Covid pandemic with the hotel itself closed to guests since 2022.

A section of the street and a significant portion of footpath leading up to the corner of the tourist drag have been closed off by the development.

People on foot going to and from the an adjacent district and Victoria Terrace have been compelled one after another into a confined, sheltered corridor.

An eatery a well-known restaurant left the building and moved to another city in 2024.

In a release, its owners said the ongoing project had forced them to change the restaurant's look, adding that "guests were entitled to a superior experience".

It is also hosts restaurant chain a pizza restaurant – which has displayed large notices on the scaffold to inform customers it is operating as usual.

Slipped Schedules

An update to the a local authority committee in the start of the year suggested that the process of "revealing" the exterior would start in February, with a full removal by the year's end.

But the contractor has said that is incorrect, citing "exceptionally intricate" building problems for the delay.

"We project starting to take down portions of the scaffold near the finish of the coming year, with additional work proceeding afterwards," the company commented.

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

Community and Heritage Concerns

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

She said those associated with the project had a "civic responsibility" to reduce disruption and should blend the work into the city's aesthetic.

She said: "It is making the pedestrian experience in that area of the city exceptionally challenging.

"I don't understand why there is not an effort to integrate it into the streetscape or create something more creative and cutting-edge."

Project Response

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

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

"This represents a long and drawn-out process, demonstrating the complexity and scale of the remedial work required, however we are committed to finishing this vital work as soon as is feasible."

The council leader said the city would "keep applying pressure" on those involved to finish the project.

She said: "This framework has been a problem for years, and I share the frustration of residents and area enterprises over these continued delays.

"That said, I also appreciate that the firm has a duty to make the building structurally sound and that this repair has turned out to be hugely complex."