Blaze's threat to pier rebuild

Adam Trimingham - The Argus Thursday, 15 May, 2003

CONTROVERSIAL plans to restore Brighton's West Pier are under threat in the wake of the arson fire which virtually destroyed it.

Government conservation watchdogs are reviewing their support for the multi-million pound rebuild.

If they decide restoration is impossible following the fire, the plug could be pulled on £14 million of National Lottery cash.

A spokesman for English Heritage said: "We are saddened the pier has suffered another fire before the regeneration scheme, which we have been supporting, could get under way.

"As a result of the damage caused by these fires, Brighton and Hove City Council has asked us to take a fresh look at the future of the pier and this we will be undertaking as a matter of urgency."

The Brighton West Pier Trust remains adamant it will press ahead.

It was granted planning permission for the project, including a large accompanying shoreline development of shops, cafes and homes, by the city council in February.

Geoff Lockwood, chief executive of the trust, said the arsonists had made the board more determined than ever to complete the restoration.

He insisted the scheme would still be a restoration rather than a rebuild and added: "That is the view of English Heritage.

"The fire does not damage our ability to restore the pier to its Twenties appearance with significant usage of original materials and artefacts."

He said despite the fires, the underlying structure remained and pieces of the pier had been salvaged and stored.

Selma Montford, secretary of the Brighton Society which opposed the shoreline buildings, said: "It was never really going to be a restoration and now it clearly is not.

"It's time to say enough is enough."