Neil Rosborough is a long-term member of the Trust and a lives close to the West Pier site. Here are his thoughts. Home from home neglect Living in Sussex Heights my front garden has been Regency Square for 28 years and for most of this time I was working at the South Bank Centre’s (SBC) Royal Festival Hall In London. Before the turn of the century both home and workplace environs were suffering years of neglect and under- investment. At home the crumbling West Pier and seafront arches, the neglected Regency Square where railings and other damage is not repaired, flowers are not provided and where the front of the square has been allowed to become a motorcycle park/ workshop. At work the area between the Royal Festival Hall and County Hall had become a depressing slum and all our efforts over decades to get major funding for regeneration had come to nothing. An icon charges over the hill And then just in time for the turn of the century celebrations the Seventh Cavalry arrived. It was the London Eye and everything on the South Bank began to change. The area achieved a massive concentration of media attention and focus and the Festival Hall was finally rewarded funding of over £80m. The whole area is now completely transformed with thousands of visitors each day attracted by the London Eye and whose footfall is reflected in activity and ticket sales for all the South Bank venues. The same team for the i360, Regency Square to prosper? So this is why I feel so excited that the London Eye team has come to Brighton and that our new icon will similarly be a major catalyst for change and progress. … Read more