The fences, cranes and machinery will be seen by hundreds or thousands of people every day. But how much do we know about what’s taking shape behind the scaffolding or other side of the hoardings?
There’s the hotel on George IV Bridge which has been shrouded in scaffolding for five years, the long-running question of the old Royal High School and changes to the plans for the former Royal Bank of Scotland site in Dundas Street.
Here is a round-up of 10 city-centre construction and restoration projects, what’s going on and when they might be finished.
The developments on Princes Street are so numerous we have compiled a separate look at these.
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1. New Town Quarter
Work is expected to start this summer at the former Royal Bank of Scotland site in Dundas Street in Edinburgh's New Town. Developers Ediston currently have planning permission for around 350 new homes - a mix of build-to-rent, private residential and mid-market rent - as well as office space. But last year they lodged a fresh application to change the build-to-rent element to purpose-built student accommodation - which would be developed, owned and managed by Fusion Group - and change the office building to more homes. Ediston are still awaiting approval for the switch. But development director Ross McNulty said demolition of the former RBS buildings was completed in October 2024 and the site had been prepared for construction works to proceed. "We are in the final stages of procuring a contractor to start the approved residential buildings opposite Royal Crescent and Fettes Row, and look forward to seeing site activity commence in the summer months.” | TSPL
2. Point A hotel, St Andrew Square
Work is under way on converting the former office building at the corner of St Andrew Square and Rose Street, opposite Jenners, into a Point A Hotel. The six-storey building also used to have a Sainsbury's store at ground level, which had to close to make way for the redevelopment. The building dates back to 1962 and was designed by architect Sir Basil Spence as the new head office of the Scottish Widows Fund and Life Assurance Society. The developers are carrying out a full internal reconfiguration and refurbishing the original entrance, with public areas of the hotel on the ground floor and an "active frontage" facing St Andrew Square. | TSPL
3. North Bridge
It was in 2018 that work began on the major refurbishment of North Bridge. It was originally expected to take two years, but as engineers inspected areas of the bridge not inspected since it was built 130 years earlier, they found more and more work needing to be done. But now the project could be nearing an end. It reopened to two-way traffic at the end of March, although the eastern carriageway is still fenced off, and major works are forecast to be completed at the end of 2025 or start of 2026. The final bill has been estimated at around £86 million. | TSPL
4. New Register House
Major works to repair and overhaul the roof of New Register House, tucked away at the east end of Princes Street, started on site in June 2023. The £7 million programme of work is said to be progressing to schedule and is due for completion in the first half of 2026. | TSPL