July 2025
Parliament Square sits at the very heart of Edinburgh’s OldTown, a stone’s throw from St Giles’ Cathedral, overlooking Mercat Cross, and steps from the Royal Mile. It is one of the most historically significant and architecturally sensitive locations in Scotland. Working here demands not just technical excellence, but an understanding of the responsibilities that come with operating on a Category A Listed building in one of the UK’s most visited urban environments.
Roofing Advisors were appointed by 1A Parliament Square Ltd -part of the CoDE Concepts hotel group - to deliver a full re-roofing contracton the Victorian A-Listed former Courthouse and Police Chambers, now operating as a flagship luxury pod-hostel and hotel. The contract was administered by Fitzsimons Ltd, with Kevin Murray (Quantity Surveyor) and Greig Hanley (ProjectManager) acting as key contacts throughout.
Works commenced on 20th January 2025 and were completed on 28th July 2025, covering 232m² of slated roof area and 60m² of zinc cladding -all delivered while the hotel remained fully operational.
Scope of Works
Our Contracting division delivered a comprehensive re-roofing package across the A-Listed building, encompassing:
Slate Roofing
Leadwork
Dormer Roofs & ZincCladding
Fall Protection System
Working on an A-Listed building in a World Heritagesetting
Parliament Square is located within Edinburgh’s Old Town and New Town World Heritage Site. Every material specification and method ofworking had to be appropriate to the listed status of the building and sympathetic to its historic character. The use of reclaimed slates wherever possible, combined with carefully matched CUPA Pizarras Spanish slate forreplacement areas, ensured the completed roof sits authentically within its exceptional setting.
Delivering in a fully live hotel environment
The hotel remained fully operational throughout the entire works programme and was simultaneously undergoing a separate large-scaleinternal refurbishment. Managing the interface between roofing works, hotel operations and an independent internal fit-out programme required close coordination, careful sequencing and consistent communication with the client and contract administrator to avoid disruption to guests and the wider project.
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival
A significant portion of the works took place on the lead up to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - the busiest period of the year in the city, when Parliament Square and the Royal Mile experience exceptionally high footfall and the logistical complexity of working in central Edinburgh is at its peak. Site access, materials deliveries and scaffold management all had to be carefully coordinated around the demands of the Festival period.
City centre access and logistics
Parliament Square is located in one of Edinburgh’s mostcongested and tightly controlled areas, with restricted vehicle access, tourist footfall and the sensitivities of working adjacent to active civic and cultural spaces. Logistics planning for scaffolding, materials and waste removal required a disciplined and proactive approach throughout the programme.
The Parliament Square project was completed on programme on 28th July 2025 which was a significant achievement given the complexity of the environment, the demands of working on a Category A Listed building, and the additional logistical pressures of the Edinburgh Festival period. Delivery to programme in these circumstances is a direct reflection of the quality ofplanning, the capability of our site team, and the strength of the working relationship with Fitzsimons Ltd throughout.
A Restored Roofscape Befitting an Iconic Address
The completed re-roofing works have returned 1A Parliament Square to aweathertight, fully compliant condition appropriate to its A-Listed status and its prominent position at the heart of Edinburgh’s historic Old Town. The use of reclaimed slates alongside matched CUPA Pizarras Spanish slate preserves the authentic character of the roofscape, while the new VM Zinc Quartz Plus dormer cladding introduces a contemporary material handled with precision to complement rather than compete with the Victorian building fabric.
New lead gutters, skews, aprons and flashings throughout provide long-term weather protection and significantly reduce future maintenance requirements for the client.
Future-Proofed with Certified Fall Protection
The design, installation and certification of a new fall protection system by our Height Services division ensures that the hotel’s facilities team and any future maintenance contractors can access the roof safely and compliantly for the life of the building. Installing the fall protection system as an integrated element of the re-roofing programme, rather than as a separate future commission, was a practical and cost-effective approach that avoided additional mobilisation and protected the client’s long-term compliance position.
Heritage Roofing at the Highest Level
1A Parliament Square represents one of the most demanding and prestigious projects in Roofing Advisors’ portfolio - an A-Listed Victorian building, in a World Heritage setting, in a live hospitality environment, during Edinburgh’s busiest week of the year preparing for the Fringe Festival. Delivering it on programme and to the standard required of the building and the client is a strong demonstration of our capability at the highest end of heritage roofing contracting.
Our Contracting and Height Services divisions work across Scotland and the UK on heritage, listed building and hospitality sector roofing contracts, procured through both private appointment and public frameworks.
