Boycott of pier meeting

The Argus Thursday, 30 January, 2003

OFFICIALS of the Brighton West Pier Trust will boycott a meeting next week to discuss alternative plans for saving the stricken structure.

The meeting has been organised by campaign group Save Our Seafront (SoS), which opposes plans by the trust and St Modwen for three large shoreline buildings.

SoS backs a plan by builder John Regan and architect Nick Lomax which would have a smaller enabling development below the level of King's Road.

The plans, featured last week in The Argus, will be explained by Mr Lomax at the meeting at the Hilton Brighton Metropole Hotel on Wednesday at 7.30pm.

Trust chief executive Geoff Lockwood said: "We will not be attending the meeting. We have consulted with SoS since summer 2001 on our plans without achieving any meeting of minds.

"More importantly, we have stated time has run out for the consideration of alternative proposals.

"If the trust, inconceivably, now wished to switch to alternative proposals, the Heritage Lottery Fund would insist on a new application and a fresh start to negotiations with a totally credible team.

"Deferring a decision to investigate the feasibility of any alternative plans would delay restoration work for at least three years by which time the West Pier might well have been destroyed."

SoS spokeswoman Sue Paskins said she was disappointed. The alternative was fully funded and details would be revealed at the meeting.

She said: "We are doing what we can to put pressure on Brighton and Hove City Council. It thinks you need a big development to attract people but you don't. The West Pier itself is the big attraction."

Plans for the St Modwen scheme go before the city planning committee on February 26.

Even if it is approved, work could not start until after a legal challenge to National Lottery cash being used had been settled by the European Court.