i360 can propel us into the future
5:20am Thursday 27th March 2014 in Letters
I have been following the progress of the plans for the i360 as I did with the London Eye, which I remember as being a similarly contentious issue. Years of campaigns for and against, approval and disapproval etc, finally gave way to permissions granted and funds secured for what has become the icon originally known as the Millennium Wheel.
When new building and engineering ideas are in the design stage, their political, social and economical implications often attract fierce debate, but I feel that the benefits of the i360 (which is designed by the same architects as the London Eye) will eventually be embraced by the people of Brighton and Hove.
The area of the West Pier is architecturally and naturally beautiful, yet since the fire in 2003, it has become largely neglected by tourists, who pour into and crowd around the east side of town.
The attraction of the i360 would help to regenerate the rundown western seafront and create interest and, of course, significant business and employment openings in the area.
With new interest in this side of town, and a percentage of the profits set to go to the West Pier Trust, the renovation of the West Pier itself could hopefully soon follow.
- Like the Wheel, the i360, I’m sure, will become a world-renowned Sussex landmark for its engineering innovation and use of green energy power. The magnificent panorama of Brighton and the Downs can and will always be viewed from the racecourse and other high points, and it would be great if the curious, the locals and the tourists who are staying or heading over the west side of town could be offered this view in a different and exciting way, and in a newly renovated environment.
Being transported 140 meters into the air in a transparent circular pod is, for me, an amazing possibility. As I’ve always found Brighton and Hove to be a place that welcomes unique ideas, the i360 seems the perfect way to propel us onward and upward into the future.
Jane Bom-Bane, George Street, Brighton
