🔗 Share this article What's Happening with the Capital's Plastic-Shrouded Hotel? Scaffolding enveloping the hotel on a major city bridge may not be fully removed until 2027. Positioned on the most popular thoroughfares in the heart of Scotland's heritage-rich city centre looms a imposing sight of metal poles and platforms. For five years, Radisson's G&V Hotel on the corner of the famous Royal Mile and George IV Bridge has been a plastic-wrapped eyesore. Tourists find no available accommodations, foot traffic are funneled through narrow walkways, and establishments have abandoned the building. Repair work commenced in 2020 and was initially projected to last a brief duration, but now fed-up residents have been told the scaffolding could stay in place until 2027. Prolonged Deadlines Sir Robert McAlpine (SRM), the main contractor, says it will be "near the finish" of 2026 before the earliest portions of the structure can be taken down. The city's political leader Jane Meagher has described it as a "eyesore" on the area, while heritage campaigners say the work is "very troublesome". What is going on with this apparently perpetual project? Unwrapped - how the hotel looks scaffold-free on the company's website. Background Issues The sizeable hotel was developed on the site of the previous local government offices in 2009. Figures from when it first opened under the a fashion-branded banner, put the build cost at about thirty million pounds. 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 footpath leading up to the intersection of the Royal Mile have been left out of action by the development. Pedestrians going to and from the Lawnmarket and a neighboring street have been forced in a line into a tight, enclosed passage. An eatery a well-known restaurant quit the building and moved to St Andrews in Fife in 2024. In a release, its owners said building work had obliged them to modify the restaurant's facade, adding that "guests were entitled to a superior experience". It is also hosts dining franchise a pizza restaurant – which has displayed large signs on the scaffold to notify customers it is open for business. Pictures show the G&V Hotel under construction in September 2008 (left) and the work beginning in 2020 (right). Slipped Schedules An update to the council's transport and environment committee in early this year suggested that the process of "uncovering" the exterior would begin in February, with a total takedown by the close of the year. But the firm has said that is not the case, referencing "highly complicated" construction issues for the delay. "We anticipate starting to dismantle sections of the scaffold near the finish of the coming year, with further improvements continuing thereafter," the company commented. "We are working closely with all parties to ensure we create an better site for the local area." Local and Conservation Frustration Rowan Brown, lead of preservation association the an advocacy group, said the work had contributed to the city's reputation of being "leisurely" for urban works. She said those involved in the project had a "public duty" to minimise disturbance and should integrate the work into the city's streetscape. She said: "It renders the experience for those on foot in that section exceptionally challenging. "It is perplexing why there is not an effort to incorporate it within the urban landscape or create something more creative and innovative." Shoppers have been forced to walk down a tight covered walkway on the affected thoroughfare. Project Response A project spokesperson said work on "solutions to enhance the appearance the site" was in progress. They continued: "We understand the annoyances felt by nearby inhabitants and businesses. "This constitutes a long and drawn-out process, demonstrating the complexity and scale of the restoration required, however we are focused on finishing this vital work as soon as is practicable." The council leader said the local authority would "maintain pressure" on those involved to wrap up the project. She said: "This structure has been a negative presence for years, and I echo the frustration of inhabitants and local businesses over these continued delays. "That said, I also acknowledge that the firm has a obligation to make the building safe and that this remediation has proved to be extremely complicated."