Positioned on the busiest tourist streets in the core of Scotland's heritage-rich city centre sits a monolith of construction framework.
For the past 60 months, a prominent hotel on the junction of the famous Royal Mile and a major bridge has been a shrouded blight.
Visitors find no available accommodations, pedestrians are funneled through confined passages, and commercial tenants have abandoned the building.
Remedial work started in 2020 and was originally estimated to last a few months, but now frustrated residents have been told the structure could persist until 2027.
The construction firm, the main contractor, says it will be "towards the end" of 2026 before the initial parts of the scaffold can be taken down.
A local authority figure a city representative has described it as a "negative feature" on the area, while preservation advocates say the work is "highly inconvenient".
What is going on with this seemingly endless project?
The establishment with 136 rooms was constructed on the site of the former regional authority offices in 2009.
Projections from when it first opened under the a fashion-branded banner, put the cost of construction at about thirty million pounds.
Work on the building got underway not long after the start of the Covid pandemic with the hotel itself not accepting visitors since 2022.
A lane of traffic and a large section of footpath leading up to the corner of the Royal Mile have been closed off by the development.
People on foot going to and from the an adjacent district and another locale have been required single-file into a tight, enclosed passage.
An eatery Ondine departed from the building and moved to another city in 2024.
In a statement, its operators said construction activity had compelled them to alter the restaurant's appearance, adding that "patrons merited more".
It is also hosts popular eatery a chain – which has hung large banners on the framework to inform customers it is open for business.
An communication to the a local authority committee in the start of the year suggested that the process of "exposing" the exterior would begin in February, with a complete dismantling by the end of the year.
But the contractor has said that is not the case, referencing "highly complicated" structural challenges for the setback.
"We project starting to dismantle portions of the scaffold towards the end of the coming year, with further improvements ongoing after that," they said.
"Efforts are underway closely with the relevant stakeholders to ensure we deliver an improved site for the public."
Rowan Brown, director of heritage body the an advocacy group, said the work had added to the city's reputation of being "slow" for urban works.
She said those involved in the project had a "obligation to the public" to minimise inconvenience and should blend the work into the city's streetscape.
She said: "It causes the walking experience in that part of town really difficult.
"It is perplexing why there is not an effort to incorporate it within the urban landscape or produce something more creative and cutting-edge."
A official statement said work on "measures to beautify the site" was ongoing.
They continued: "We acknowledge the annoyances felt by the community and shops.
"This has been a long and drawn-out process, highlighting the intricacy and scale of the remedial work required, however we are dedicated to finishing this necessary work as soon as is possible."
The council leader said the council would "keep applying 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.
"Nonetheless, I also acknowledge that the company has a responsibility to make the building structurally sound and that this restoration has proved to be extremely complicated."
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