June 2008

The June newsletter is available to view online in PDF format. Click here to view.

April 2008

The Trust is confident that on-site construction of the i360 will begin this season but it is a complex project and patience is needed. As well as the i360, plans are progressing well for West Pier heritage on the site and also for redeveloping the pier itself. We are on the verge of an exciting and dramatic future for the West Pier and its environs which will live up to its history and provide the city with an iconic stimulus. Any news or developments will be announced on this site.

November 2007

The November newsletter is available to view online in PDF format. Click here to view.

November 2006

The November newsletter is available to view online in PDF format. Click here to view.

1th October 2006
New Eye for Brighton gets planning permission

Brighton & Hove Council granted planning permission today for the Brighton i360 designed by the award-winning London Eye architects, husband and wife team David Marks and Julia Barfield. At 183 metres high and with the observation pod rising to 139 metres, the i360 will be Britain’s highest observation tower, taller than the London Eye (at 135m).

In a joint statement, Julia Barfield and David Marks said, "We are delighted by this decision and would like to thank everyone who gave their support for this project. This is great news for Brighton. The i360 will boost Brighton’s position as a top tourist destination, create 109 full-time jobs, increase tourist revenue by up to £10m and act as a catalyst for regeneration. The i360 will enable visitors to enjoy unparalleled panoramic views and residents to see their City from a new angle. We hope that the i360 will become an elegant, 21st century symbol for Brighton."

Visitors will board a giant fully enclosed ‘pod’ – more than nine times the size of a London Eye capsule. During their 20 minute ride, the pod will rise gradually to a height of 139 metres giving visitors stunning 360 degree panoramic views of up to 25 miles on a clear day of Brighton with its Regency squares, Grade II listed Victorian pier and the Pavilion, of the South Downs and the South Coast including the Seven Sisters and Beachy Head, as far as Eastbourne in the East to Bognor Regis in the West.

David Marks says, "We believe that the i360 will be a great success. We are expecting the i360 to attract in the region of 600,000 visitors making it Brighton’s number one paid-for visitor attraction. People love a great view and to go up high to see a City. You only have to look at how popular other observation experiences are such as the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building and of course the London Eye, which is the UK’s number one paid-for visitor attraction and has welcomed over 22 million visitors."

Eleanor Harris, Managing Director of I-Xperience, which will be operating Brighton i360 says, "With 8m visitors a year, Brighton is a fantastic location for the i360. We believe that the i360 will be extremely popular with visitors. We are expecting to attract a wide cross-section of different customers from families looking for a unique way to entertain the kids, couples on a romantic weekend break to school groups, conference visitors and stag and hen parties. During the evening, guests will be able to enjoy stunning nighttime views and a glass of champagne in our Sky Bar. The i360 will be a unique venue for weddings, civil partnerships and events."

Brighton i360 will be located on the seafront on the site of the Victorian West Pier. Glynn Jones, Chairman of the Brighton West Pier Trust says "After 30 years of exploring public funding options, it has not proved possible to rebuild the pier. We believe that the Brighton i360 – a ‘vertical pier’ is entirely in the spirit of the pier’s history and the best option to replicate the success and the ethos of the original pier." The i360 will provide an income stream for the Trust to finance its heritage works and future of the sea-based pier. The design will include restoration of the original Victorian toll booths and seating, and the creation of a Heritage Centre. It will fund the tidying up of the beach and removal of the wreckage, whilst retaining the sea island where thousands of starlings currently flock at dusk.

The architects have been overwhelmed by the level of support that the i360 has attracted. The landmark tower received vital support from English Heritage. In a letter to Brighton and Hove City Council, English Heritage’s Inspector of Historic Buildings wrote, "English Heritage welcomes a project which would provide an outstanding feature on the seafront and a worthy companion to any successor to the West Pier, whether rebuilt or replaced. It would achieve an outcome not unlike the original promenade pier by allowing viewing of the whole of Brighton seafront not from the sea but from above."

The project received backing from tourism businesses in Brighton. Mark Jones, Chair of the Brighton and Hove Hotels Association, which represents all hotels in the City says, "Brighton & Hove not only needs to outdo UK cities but also compete with those European European cities which are just a cheap flight away. The challenge is a major one. To address it, out-of-the-box thinking, vision and daring are essential. Brighton & Hove must embrace projects which attract superlatives: the best, the biggest, the tallest, the bravest. It is exhilarating to hear ideas which are not ‘down to earth’ but instead, rather like the i360 itself, reach for the stars" .

Toby Forer, Senior General Manager of the Sea Life Centre, one of Brighton’s top visitor attractions, says "The i360 will compliment the existing range of attractions on offer within the City (Brighton Pier/ Brighton Marina/ Royal Pavilion / Brighton Sea Life Centre) and will underpin the dynamic proposition synonymous with Brighton".

Adam Bates, Head of Tourism for Visit Brighton comments "We are thrilled at the prospect of having this elegant 21st Century tourist attraction in our city. It will improve the competitiveness of Brighton as a tourist destination."

Located just 49 minutes from London and close to the Channel sea ports and Gatwick airport, Brighton is one of the UK’s most popular destinations attracting 8 million visitors per year. With its vibrant night-life, great restaurants and shopping, it has enduring popularity as a weekend break destination, especially for young Londoners and for day trips. It has been nicknamed, ‘London on the Sea’. Brighton is an established conference and meeting destination and will host the Labour Party Conference in autumn 2008 and 2009. It is one of the top UK destinations for foreign students to study English and for stag and hen parties.

Click here to read the full press release (pdf version)

1st April 2006
Argus Poll

The Argus is running a poll to gauge reaction to the i360 proposal. If you like the scheme please text SUARGUS followed by a space then YES to 88010

To send your comments text SUARGUS followed by a space and then your message to 88010.Alternatively you may add your message after your vote.

Each text will cost your normal network rate only.

Closing date Saturday 8th April 3006 ( www.theargus.co.uk)

31st March 2006
Marks Barfield Proposes Brighton i360

The award-winning husband and wife architects, David Marks and Julia Barfield, the originators and designers of the London Eye, announced today their plans to build an observation mast on the site of the West Pier. 'Brighton i-360' will carry up to 100 visitors at one time in an aerodynamically designed pod to a height of 150 metres above sea level (more details)

February 2006

Chief Executive’s Report to the Board -   February 2006

1. Introduction

This has been a period of intense and productive discussions with officers of Brighton & Hove City Council; and of detailed, frequent and intricate exchanges with the Noble Organisation and lawyers.

2. Context

The basic context in which we have been working is set by

1. recognition that no significant public or Lottery monies will be forthcoming for the West Pier. We will seek marginal funds from such sources for aspects of heritage retention, but the main works on the future of the West Pier site will need to be 100% private sector funded.
2. Most of the public and the authorities have written off the restoration of the West Pier. An English Heritage journal and the winter 2005 journal of the National Piers Society both state ‘the pier has gone, it is time to demolish and move on’ (though English Heritage insists on maintaining the Grade I listing). The Trust does not fully share that view.

3. Aims of the Trust

Given that context, the Trust has been pursuing its objects by trying to achieve the following aims.
3.1 to seek a secure private sector partner possessing ideas for a development which meet the aims      of the Trust

1. to create a new development which matches the history and spirit of the site in terms of its public benefit, its architectural distinction, its engineering innovation and its social usage
2. to retain as much as possible of the heritage of the West Pier. This involves leaving open the possibility of restoring/reconstructing the sea-based pier including linkage to the land. In the shorter term, it means the creation of a West Pier Heritage Centre, the re-use/reconstruction of the stored artefacts and kiosks, and retention of the east and west tollhouses (the Rock Shop and its sister) at the landward end.
3. To obtain from the implementation of the foregoing aims an income to the Trust to sustain its stewardship of the site and to finance its heritage retention works.

1. Private Sector Partners
1. Officers have been in discussion since the early summer with three potential private sector partners.
2. Recently interaction continued with those potential partners. In particular the ‘London group’ were involved in very detailed discussions with the Trust, the Council and English Heritage.
3. In January 2006 the Executive Committee of the Trust met to consider the proposals. As a result one of the potential partners was dropped. One of the remaining potential partners (the London group) is focussed on a development at the landward end of the pier. The other potential partner (the local group) is focussed on the seaward end of the pier. The Executive Committee was excited by the London group’s proposal (as are the Council and English Heritage officers) and agreed that officers should pursue the partnership with vigour. The ‘local group’s’ sea-based proposal was seen as a second stage but officers were encouraged to pursue it.
4. Crucially, neither the London nor the local group are willing to be identified until the Trust is in a position to deliver the deal (i.e. has the power to enter into a long-term lease as applied for in our Harbour Revision Order). Thus, although the Executive Committee is in a position to recommend a private sector partner for the landward development, and to outline a possible sea-based development, it cannot yet do so. It is important to stress that neither of the potential private sector partners are in St Modwen’s position of 2001 (when it decided to take the risk on the Trust obtaining the HRO). St Modwen was to use its own reserves to finance its funding contribution and was to ‘benefit’ from a £15m Lottery grant. Both the London and the local groups need to convince financial backers that the Trust can deliver its part of the deal.

1. Harbour Revision Order
1. The intricacies of the HRO are considerable, but the essence is that the HRO will give the Trust the ability to enter into leases longer than of three years duration; without its provisions, the site is sterilised from private sector investment.
2. The Noble Organisation is fully aware that its objection keeps a stranglehold on development of the site; and has been pursuing that objection by all means.
3. The Trust has sought from June 2005 to bring this matter to a conclusion through a public inquiry. In November 2005 the Department for Transport agreed that the inquiry should be held in the week commencing 27th February 2006. Since then the Trust has been defending the Noble Organisation’s strenuous attempts to get the inquiry postponed. Finally, in early February the Department for Transport rejected the Noble Organisation’s arguments and confirmed that the inquiry will commence on 28th February.
4. In parallel with the lawyers daily exchanges about the HRO inquiry, the Chairman and I have been trying to reach a ‘non-competitive’ agreement with the Noble Organisation. Following my initiatives in correspondence, the Chairman and I met with the principal representative of the Noble Organisation (David Biesterfield) on 24th January which was followed by my letter of 25th January on the terms of an agreement. We continue to await a response to that letter.
5. Thus, the situation at the time of writing is that we face a public inquiry on the HRO on 28th February unless the Noble Organisation reaches agreement with us prior to that date and withdraws that objection.

1. Action

We are very disappointed not to be able to make positive recommendations to the Board, but

1. we have determined that the reconvened 2005 AGM of the Trust, and the 2006 AGM, should be held on 31st March (with the Board meeting preceding it). We hope to be able at the AGM to present the ‘London group’s’ proposals in the knowledge that the Trust will have secured its HRO.
2. The Chairman and I seek the authority of the Board to
1. reach an agreement with the Noble Organisation along the lines of my letter of 25th January
2. accept the ‘London group’ as our private sector partner for the landward development once the HRO has been assured.

1. Development of the Site

We cannot predict timescales at present but the development has at least four parts i.e.

1. a landward end development, including a heritage centre
2. clearance of the current walkway and the ‘wreckage’ in the sea. English Heritage is still assessing the care which has to be taken in removal of the wreckage. The Trust can make plans for this part of the plan once it has secured an income stream to fund the work.
3. Co-operation with Brighton & Hove City Council on the usage of its land adjacent to the east and west of the pier on the lower esplanade for West Pier heritage purposes e.g. landscaped exhibition of artefacts and original kiosks.
4. A development of the sea-based pier which includes significant restoration/reconstruction of key features of the traditional West Pier.

1. Conclusion

We are on the verge of delivering a project which will re-vitalise the West Pier site in the spirit of its history, will provide a new civic icon and which will attract international admiration. Unfortunately, we cannot disclose the source and nature of that development because of the Noble Organisation’s continuing objection to our HRO application. Hopefully, given the speed at which events are moving, our oral report to the Board will be more conclusive.

                                                           
Dr Geoff Lockwood
Deputy Chairman & Chief Executive