Work starts on Eye in six weeks

Seafront tower ready in 2009

Andy Chiles - The Argus Monday, 18 June, 2007

Work will begin on the 172m tall Brighton i360 within six weeks.

The developers behind the seafront structure have announced that construction will begin on Monday, July 23, and will be completed in 2009.

The needle tower with an ascending and descending circular viewing platform will be built at the foot of Brighton's wrecked West Pier.

London Eye architects Marks Barfield, who are running the project, made the announcement to members of the West Pier Trust on Thursday. Trust general manager Rachel Clark said: "We are absolutely delighted there is finally going to be some significant work and the pier is ready to experience a bright new dawn."

The go-ahead for the project was granted after the Noble Organisation, the owners of the Palace Pier, dropped their objections against it.

The firm had continually attempted to block any redevelopment at the site of the rival West Pier.

The Trust said it hoped building the i360 would eventually lead to a new pier being built at the site.

The original, built in 1866, was destroyed by arson attacks in 2002 after lying derelict since 1975.

The first stage of work on the i360 will be to remove various artefacts of the original pier which are being stored under the remaining base area.

Many were preserved while hopes remained that the Grade 1 listed piercould be rebuilt as a heritage project. Some have not been moved for 30 years.

The market which is held in the area will be moved while work is carried out but will eventually return to the same site.

The seafront footpath running alongside the base of the pier will be closed during construction with a replacement put in place further down the beach.

David Marks, from Marks Barfield, said: "We are looking forward to seeing things get started. It is all starting to move along now."

The new tower has been backed by Brighton and Hove city councillors and tourism bosses who believe it will attract even more visitors to the city.

The i360 will be Britain's highest observation tower providing panoramic views across the channel, along the south coast and over the South Downs.

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

West Pier Trust board member Adam Trimingham said: "It is a wonderful step forward. It has been 32 years since the pier closed and this is the first really positive move since then."