Work on i360 due to start in May but don't hold your breath

Simon Barrett - The Argus Friday, 23 February, 2007

The team behind the proposals for a "Brighton Eye" observation tower has revealed it is still waiting for Government approval - three months before work is due to start.

The West Pier Trust, which owns the site, said Government bureaucracy is holding up a decision on planning permission for the 172 metre seafront structure.

The Noble Organisation, which runs the Palace Pier, has objected to permission being granted on the grounds it would increase competition on the seafront and affect the pier's profits.

The tower, designed by the architects of the London Eye and known as the i360, is predicted to attract 500,000 visitors a year, boost the city's economy by £10 million and create more than 100 jobs.

Fears have been raised the project will be delayed if the decision drags on much longer.

Geoff Lockwood, chief executive of the West Pier Trust, said: "I remain confident that a decision is imminent. Work is due to start at the end of May so if we get the go-ahead in the next few weeks everything will be fine. We are sure the decision has not been delayed because of problems with our case, which is sound. It is just a case of Government bureaucracy.

"Noble's fears are unfounded. The council and independent consultants agreed the i360 would not take any of its share of the leisure pound and, if anything, would attract more people to the city and the seafront."

Councillors, conservation groups and tourism bosses have all backed the i360, Britain's highest observation tower, which would transport visitors up to 139 metres in a pod, providing panoramic views.

The pod, with a capacity of 125 people, would be more than nine times the size of a London Eye capsule.

Simon Burgess, leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, said: "We have made frequent inquiries to the Government, asking when the decision will be made.

"We have emphasised how important the project is to our plans for the future and the universal support it has received. The last thing we want to see is a delay on work starting."

A spokesman for the Department for Transport said a decision was expected to be made within weeks.