🔗 Share this article The Ongoing Issue with Edinburgh's Plastic-Shrouded Hotel? The protective structure surrounding the hotel on a central thoroughfare may not be fully removed until 2027. Positioned on the most frequented avenues in the heart of Scotland's heritage-rich city centre sits a giant structure of metal poles and platforms. For five years, Radisson's G&V Hotel on the intersection of a key historic street and George IV Bridge has been a plastic-wrapped eyesore. Visitors are unable to reserve stays, walkers are funneled through confined passages, and businesses have vacated the building. Restoration efforts commenced in 2020 and was only expected to last a brief duration, but now exasperated residents have been told the structure could persist until 2027. Prolonged Deadlines The construction firm, the lead company, says it will be "towards the end" of 2026 before the first sections of the scaffold can be removed. The city's political leader a city representative has described it as a "blight" on the area, while heritage campaigners say the work is "highly inconvenient". What is going on with this notoriously protracted project? Unwrapped - how the hotel is presented without its covering on the hotel's website. A Problematic Past The establishment with 136 rooms was built on the site of the previous local government offices in 2009. Projections from when it originally launched under the a designer banner, put the development expense at about thirty million pounds. Construction activity started shortly after the start of the coronavirus outbreak with the hotel itself closed to guests since 2022. A lane of traffic and a large section of footpath leading up to the intersection of the tourist drag have been closed off by the project. Pedestrians going to and from the a nearby area and a neighboring street have been forced single-file into a tight, enclosed passage. A dining establishment a popular spot quit the building and moved to a different location in 2024. In a comment, its management said building work had forced them to alter the restaurant's appearance, adding that "patrons merited more". It is also home to restaurant chain a pizza restaurant – which has displayed large signs on the structure to notify customers it is still open. Pictures show the the property being built in September 2008 (left) and the project beginning in 2020 (right). Missed Deadlines An report to the a local authority committee in the start of the year indicated that the process of "uncovering" the frontage would begin in February, with a full removal by the close of the year. But SRM has said that is incorrect, citing "extremely complex" structural challenges for the postponement. "We project starting to remove parts of the scaffold near the finish of the coming year, with additional work continuing thereafter," they said. "Efforts are underway closely with all parties to ensure we provide an better site for the public." Community and Heritage Concerns A heritage director, lead of heritage body the Cockburn Association, said the work had added to the city's reputation of being "slow" for construction projects. She said those working on the project had a "public duty" to reduce disruption and should incorporate the work into the city's design. She said: "It is making the walking experience in that part of town very hard. "I don't understand why there is not a try to bring it into the street view or produce something more aesthetic and cutting-edge." Pedestrians have been obliged to walk down a narrow covered walkway on a section of the road. Continued Work A company representative said work on "solutions to beautify the site" was in progress. They continued: "We understand the annoyances felt by local residents and shops. "This constitutes a extended and complex process, demonstrating the intricacy and scale of the repair work required, however we are dedicated to finishing this necessary work as soon as is feasible." The official said the local authority would "continue to put pressure" on those responsible to complete the project. She said: "This framework has been a blight for years, and I share the exasperation of residents and local businesses over these ongoing postponements. "However, I also acknowledge that the contractor has a responsibility to make the building secure and that this remediation has been hugely complex."