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Along the busiest tourist streets in the heart of Scotland's ancient city sits a giant structure of construction framework.

For the past 60 months, a prominent hotel on the corner of a key historic street and the adjacent bridge has been a shrouded blight.

Travellers cannot book rooms, foot traffic are squeezed through tight corridors, and establishments have vacated the building.

Remedial work began in 2020 and was originally estimated to last a short period, but now frustrated residents have been told the scaffolding could stay in place until 2027.

Further Delays

The construction firm, the lead company, says it will be "towards the end" of 2026 before the first sections of the scaffold can be dismantled.

A local authority figure a city representative has called it a "blight" on the area, while preservation advocates say the work is "highly inconvenient".

What is transpiring with this seemingly endless project?

Background Issues

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

Projections from when it initially debuted under the a designer banner, put the cost of construction at about thirty million pounds.

Work on the building began soon after the start of the coronavirus outbreak with the hotel itself closed to guests since 2022.

A section of the street and a significant portion of pavement leading up to the corner of the tourist drag have been rendered unusable by the project.

Pedestrians going to and from the Lawnmarket and another locale have been required single-file into a narrow, covered walkway.

A dining establishment Ondine quit the building and moved to another city in 2024.

In a statement, its operators said construction activity 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 chain – which has hung large signs on the scaffold to inform customers it is operating as usual.

Slipped Schedules

An report to the council's transport and environment committee in early this year indicated that the process of "exposing" the frontage would begin in February, with a complete dismantling by the close of the year.

But the firm has said that is not the case, citing "extremely complex" structural challenges for the delay.

"We expect starting to dismantle portions of the framework close to the conclusion of the coming year, with further improvements continuing thereafter," they said.

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

Local and Conservation Frustration

A conservation official, director of preservation association the an advocacy group, said the work had reinforced the city's reputation of being "slow" for development.

She said those involved in the project had a "public duty" to lessen disturbance and should blend the work into the city's design.

She said: "It renders the walking experience in that area of the city very hard.

"It is perplexing why there is not an effort to bring it into the streetscape or develop something more aesthetic and cutting-edge."

Project Response

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

They continued: "We recognize the irritations felt by the community and enterprises.

"This represents a extended and complex process, reflecting the difficulty and magnitude of the repair work required, however we are focused on concluding this vital work as soon as is practicable."

The council leader said the council would "maintain pressure" on those involved to wrap up the project.

She said: "This scaffolding has been a negative presence for years, and I share the exasperation of locals and local businesses over these ongoing postponements.

"However, I also recognize that the contractor has a duty to make the building safe and that this remediation has turned out to be hugely complex."