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On one of the busiest tourist streets in the centre of Scotland's heritage-rich city centre looms a giant structure of metal poles and platforms.

For five years, a prominent hotel on the intersection of Edinburgh's Royal Mile and the adjacent bridge has been a shrouded blight.

Tourists find no available accommodations, walkers are directed through narrow walkways, and businesses have vacated the building.

Repair work began in 2020 and was initially projected to last a short period, but now exasperated residents have been told the scaffolding could remain until 2027.

Prolonged Deadlines

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

A local authority figure a council official has described it as a "blight" on the area, while heritage campaigners say the work is "highly inconvenient".

What is transpiring with this seemingly endless project?

Background Issues

The establishment with 136 rooms was built on the site of the old local government offices in 2009.

Figures from when it first opened under the a designer banner, put the cost of construction at about thirty million pounds.

Work on the building got underway shortly after the start of the Covid pandemic with the hotel itself closed to guests since 2022.

Part of the road and a large section of pavement leading up to the junction of the historic street have been rendered unusable by the work.

Pedestrians going to and from the Lawnmarket and Victoria Terrace have been forced single-file into a narrow, covered walkway.

An eatery a well-known restaurant quit the building and relocated to a different location in 2024.

In a release, its operators said the ongoing project had obliged them to modify the restaurant's facade, adding that "customers deserved better".

It is also hosts dining franchise a pizza restaurant – which has hung large notices on the structure to inform customers it is operating as usual.

Delayed Plans

An update to the a city committee in the start of the year suggested that the process of "uncovering" the façade would begin in February, with a total takedown by the end of the year.

But the firm has said that is incorrect, citing "extremely complex" building problems for the postponement.

"We expect starting to take down sections of the framework towards the end of the coming year, with additional work continuing thereafter," a statement read.

"We are working closely with everyone involved to ensure we deliver an enhanced site for the public."

Community and Heritage Concerns

A conservation official, director of conservation group the Cockburn Association, said the work had contributed to the city's reputation of being "protracted" for development.

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 is making the pedestrian experience in that part of town very hard.

"It is perplexing why there is not some attempt to bring it into the street view or create something more aesthetic and avant-garde."

Continued Work

A project spokesperson said work on "measures to enhance the appearance the site" was ongoing.

They stated: "We understand the annoyances felt by the community and enterprises.

"This constitutes a extended and complex process, highlighting the difficulty and size of the remedial work required, however we are committed to completing this necessary work as soon as is practicable."

The official said the local authority would "maintain pressure" on those responsible to finish the project.

She said: "This structure has been a problem for years, and I understand the annoyance of inhabitants and area enterprises over these continued delays.

"That said, I also recognize that the contractor has a duty to make the building safe and that this repair has been extremely complicated."