At its meeting today Brighton & Hove Council’s Policy & Resources Committee voted unanimously to lend Marks Barfield the monies necessary to close the i360 funding gap. This means that i360 construction can begin this autumn and the attraction will open early in 2015. Details of the deal can be found in the Argus
http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9804034.High_hopes_for_a_2012_start__on_Brighton_s__i360/
The Trust is delighted that the Council has taken this forward looking step. The project will create many new jobs, revitalise the city’s economy and most important, from the Trust’s perspective, regenerate the West Pier site which has been empty for many years. The Trust considers i360 a worthy successor to Eugenius Birch’s masterpiece, the West Pier. Its elegant, innovative design reflects the same qualities of the pier when it opened in 1866. The thrill of rising 150m in the air to admire splendid panoramic views matches that of walking on water in Victorian times. A vertical pier.
The Trust, which has never given up on the pier, looks forward to an exciting future for the site and expects the news to generate solid interest in building a new West Pier.
We would like to thank our many members and supporters for their dedicated and continuing support for the Trust which has meant a great deal
to us during challenging times.
