Eye looks 'interesting'

James Lancaster - The Argus Tuesday, 29 August, 2006

PLANS for a landmark 600ft seafront observation tower in Brighton have received a cautious welcome from one of the city's most influential business groups.

The Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership said the £20 million i360 would be an "interesting addition" to the city but warned about extra traffic.

In a letter to the city council's planning committee, BHEP chief executive Tony Mernagh said the "Brighton Eye" would exacerbate the city's congestion problems.

He questioned the claim that most visitors would travel to the tower by foot and said the plans called for a major park and ride on the outskirts of the town.

Mr Mernagh also noted the nearest city centre car parks at Churchill Square, Russell Square and Regency Square operated at full capacity most weekends.

If it gets the go-ahead, the tower - designed by London Eye architects David Marks and Julia Barfield - will be built at the land end of the derelict West Pier.

The West Pier Trust is driving the application as it is hoped revenue from the attraction, expected to carry 500,000 visitors a year, will be used to tidy up the pier.

The application has already won crucial backing from the powerful conservation agency English Heritage, which has opposed Frank Gehry's King Alfred redevelopment scheme along the seafront in Hove.

While BHEP backs i860, the South-East England Development Agency-funded organisation has consistently expressed doubts over Brighton and Hove's ability to cope with many more visitors.

In his letter to the council, Mr Mernagh also noted that while it was anticipated many people would cycle to the tower, there were no plans to increase the provision of cycle parking in the immediate vicinity.

He said the developer and the council should make more cycle racks available to discourage people using the railings on the upper esplanade.

The planning application for the tower will be heard in October.

It seeks permission for the partial demolition of the Grade I-listed pier, construction of the spire, a heritage centre, shops at lower promenade level and a coach park.