St James Quarter

The redevelopment of the former St James shopping centre and adjacent Scottish Office in Edinburgh demanded the delivery of a transformative, 1.7 million sq ft mixed-use scheme within a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The project required the seamless integration of 80 retail units, bars, restaurants, a multi-screen cinema, 152 residences, a 244-room luxury hotel, 1,600 parking spaces, and the restoration of historic assets—all while preserving the character of James Craig’s New Town and maintaining live operations throughout the phased construction process.

G&T delivered Cost Management, Project Management, Life Cycle Costing, Principal Designer/CDM consultancy and Construction & Property Tax Advice throughout the six-plus-year construction programme. We developed robust cost frameworks and procurement strategies for retail, hotel, residential, heritage conservation and infrastructure packages. We managed phased delivery—including early works such as demolition, enabling, heritage restoration and galleria construction—while overseeing stakeholder coordination, tenant fit-outs and programme resilience within a live city-centre environment.

The first phase opened to widespread acclaim, delivering premium retail, leisure and public realm enhancements. Subsequent hotel and residential phases—featuring the W Hotel and Roomzzz apart-hotel—have been completed, cementing St James Quarter’s status as a new civic and commercial hub. With award-winning placemaking, job creation, and strong sustainability credentials, G&T’s stewardship has been pivotal in realising Edinburgh’s £1 billion city-centre regeneration.