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News: Brighton gets UKs highest observation tower

 
Brighton & Hove Council has granted planning permission for a giant observation tower on the city's seafront.

As part of the project designed by London Eye architects, husband and wife team David Marks and Julia Barfield, the derelict West Pier will be demolished.

At 183 metres high and with the observation pod rising to 139 metres, the i360 will be Britain’s highest observation tower, taller than the London Eye (at 135m).

In a joint statement, Julia Barfield and David Marks said: "This is great news for Brighton. The i360 will boost Brighton’s position as a top tourist destination, create 109 full-time jobs, increase tourist revenue by up to £10 million and act as a catalyst for regeneration.”

“The i360 will enable visitors to enjoy unparalleled panoramic views and residents to see their City from a new angle. We hope that the i360 will become an elegant, 21st century symbol for Brighton."

Visitors will board a giant fully enclosed ‘pod’ – more than nine times the size of a London Eye capsule. During their 20 minute ride, the pod will rise gradually to a height of 139 metres giving visitors stunning 360 degree panoramic views of up to 25 miles on a clear day.

Brighton with its Regency squares, Grade II listed Victorian pier and the Pavilion, of the South Downs and the South Coast including the Seven Sisters and Beachy Head, as well as Eastbourne in the East to Bognor Regis in the West will all be in range in good weather.

Brighton i360 will be located on the seafront on the site of the Victorian West Pier. Glynn Jones, Chairman of the Brighton West Pier Trust said: "After 30 years of exploring public funding options, it has not proved possible to rebuild the pier.”

“We believe that the Brighton i360 – a ‘vertical pier’ is entirely in the spirit of the pier’s history and the best option to replicate the success and the ethos of the original pier."

The i360 will provide an income stream for the Trust to finance its heritage works and future of the sea-based pier. The design will include restoration of the original Victorian toll booths and seating, and the creation of a Heritage Centre. It will fund the tidying up of the beach and removal of the wreckage, whilst retaining the sea island where thousands of starlings currently flock at dusk.

 

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