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On one of the most frequented avenues in the core of Scotland's heritage-rich city centre looms a giant structure of construction framework.

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

Travellers cannot book rooms, walkers are funneled through narrow walkways, and establishments have abandoned the building.

Repair work commenced in 2020 and was originally estimated to last a brief duration, but now fed-up residents have been told the scaffolding could persist until 2027.

Extended Timelines

Sir Robert McAlpine (SRM), the lead company, says it will be "towards the end" of 2026 before the earliest portions of the frame can be removed.

A local authority figure a council official has called it a "negative feature" on the area, while preservation advocates say the work is "highly inconvenient".

What is going on with this apparently perpetual project?

A Troubled History

The 136-bedroom hotel was developed on the site of the old regional authority offices in 2009.

Figures from when it initially debuted under the Missoni Hotel banner, put the build cost at about thirty million pounds.

Work on the building began not long after the start of the Covid pandemic with the hotel itself not accepting visitors since 2022.

Part of the road and a significant portion 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 an adjacent district and a neighboring street have been forced in a line into a narrow, covered walkway.

Seafood restaurant a popular spot quit the building and transferred to another city in 2024.

In a release, its operators said the ongoing project had forced them to change the restaurant's look, adding that "customers deserved better".

It is also hosts restaurant chain a pizza restaurant – which has hung large banners on the scaffold to notify customers it is operating as usual.

Slipped Schedules

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

But SRM has said that is not the case, referencing "extremely complex" building problems for the delay.

"We expect starting to take down portions of the structure towards the end of the coming year, with additional work ongoing after that," they said.

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

Local and Conservation Frustration

A heritage director, director of heritage body the an advocacy group, said the work had contributed to the city's reputation of being "leisurely" for development.

She said those working on the project had a "public duty" to lessen disturbance and should incorporate the work into the city's aesthetic.

She said: "It renders the pedestrian experience in that section very hard.

"It is puzzling why there is not an effort to incorporate it within the urban landscape or develop something more creative and cutting-edge."

Ongoing Efforts

A company representative said work on "measures to aesthetically improve the site" was in progress.

They added: "We recognize the annoyances felt by local residents and shops.

"This constitutes a extended and complex process, reflecting the complexity and magnitude of the repair work required, however we are committed to completing this vital work as soon as is feasible."

The official said the local authority would "maintain pressure" on those involved to wrap up the project.

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

"That said, I also acknowledge that the contractor has a duty to make the building structurally sound and that this restoration has been hugely complex."