New pier is a winner

Thursday, 6 January, 2005

EUGENIUS Birch's parents could not have given him a more fitting first name. The Victorian engineer's achievements included the Calcutta-Delhi railway and Exmouth docks but his most inspirational and creative work was the construction of his masterpiece, the West Pier.

Before it closed in 1975, the pier was hugely popular, attracting up to two million visitors a year to its concert hall, theatre and bandstand and starring in John Boulting's film Brighton Rock, Richard Attenborough's Oh, What a Lovely War! and several Carry On films.

But the real carry-on has been the 20 years of wrangling and abortive attempts to resurrect the Grade I listed building.

Today we reveal plans, not to restore the pier but to replace it.

Many readers may be thinking, with some justification: "A new West Pier? We've heard that one before."

The crucial difference between this project and every other attempt to restore the original is that the West Pier Trust will be relying almost entirely on private money.

The old stumbling block - that a new pier would have to incorporate a hideous retail and leisure centre to attract funding - has been eliminated in a new, scaled down design.

When the council meets the trust today to discuss the plans it should have as its priority the need to build a thing of majesty, not a blot on the seascape which would have made Eugenius want to change his name in shame.