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[Brighton] i360 filing for administration



H

Hotchilidog

Well-known member
Jan 24, 2009
9,163
The Fifth Column said:
Before it was built I don't recall a single local person I know suggesting it was going to be anything other than a financial failure and huge white elephant and here we are all proven correct. Imagine, we could have had a fully restored Marine Parade arches and total regeneration of the seafront for the money wasted on a completely pointless tourist attraction that failed to attract anywhere near the numbers of tourists required, the view from the top is boring, uninspiring and a total letdown. Pull the stupid thing down as it will never make enough money to maintain itself.
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The money did not come from the council, it was a loan from a government agency specifically for a revenue generating project. Marine Parade has been neglected because local governments everywhere and Brighton & Hove in particular have had their government funding (the main source of revenue) slashed over the past decade and a bit.
 






Official Old Man

Official Old Man

Uckfield Seagull
Aug 27, 2011
9,187
Brighton
kevo said:
To be (fun)fair, what would be the point of making it a rival to the Palace Pier? The West Pier could really work if it was a location for chic and hip bars and restaurants, with views of the sunset etc. It could be fantastic.
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Oh yes, 100%. But that's not what the council would allow. They wanted a pier just like the old days that you could stroll on.
 


Thunder Bolt

Thunder Bolt

Silly old bat
Aug 18, 2009
68,171
Beside the seaside, beside the sea
Official Old Man said:
Oh yes, 100%. But that's not what the council would allow. They wanted a pier just like the old days that you could stroll on.
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There was a theatre which put on some good shows.
The council allowed the Hippodrome to go the same way but thankfully it has been saved.
 


southstandandy

southstandandy

WEST STAND ANDY
Jul 9, 2003
6,103
I was interviewed by some bloke from ITV whilst walking on the seafront when they stared to build it, asking for my views and was I excited. I politely said it would be the biggest white elephant in Brighton's history and would not likely last 10 years!

I was criticized by the interviewer who thought I was negative and a certain Mr Kitkat who was part of the party being interviewed who claimed I was just a nimby. I explained 'on air' I thought the borrowing by the authority was too high and this was doomed to fail.

I take no satisfaction in saying 'I told you so'. Apparently Mr Kitkat didn't want to be interviewed today when the news broke. What a surprise.
 




Westdene Seagull

Westdene Seagull

aka Cap'n Carl Firecrotch
NSC Patron
Oct 27, 2003
21,582
The arse end of Hangleton
Hotchilidog said:
The money did not come from the council, it was a loan from a government agency specifically for a revenue generating project. Marine Parade has been neglected because local governments everywhere and Brighton & Hove in particular have had their government funding (the main source of revenue) slashed over the past decade and a bit.
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The money was borrowed from the government by the council and then re-lent at a higher interest rate to Brighton i360. That makes the council - otherwise known as the local taxpayer - liable for the loan.
 








Herr Tubthumper

Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
63,045
The Fatherland
PTC Gull said:
Well its certainly had its ups and downs. I sure someone can turn it around.
I'll get m'coat.....
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I’ve already done this gag :facepalm:
 


Herr Tubthumper

Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
63,045
The Fatherland
Westdene Seagull said:
The money was borrowed from the government by the council and then re-lent at a higher interest rate to Brighton i360. That makes the council - otherwise known as the local taxpayer - liable for the loan.
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I guess Brighton council is therefore a creditor, and I presume the main one. What’s the situation now? Can they take it back as payment?
 


Paulie Gualtieri

Paulie Gualtieri

Bada Bing
NSC Patron
May 8, 2018
10,817
southstandandy said:
I was interviewed by some bloke from ITV whilst walking on the seafront when they stared to build it, asking for my views and was I excited. I politely said it would be the biggest white elephant in Brighton's history and would not likely last 10 years!

I was criticized by the interviewer who thought I was negative and a certain Mr Kitkat who was part of the party being interviewed who claimed I was just a nimby. I explained 'on air' I thought the borrowing by the authority was too high and this was doomed to fail.

I take no satisfaction in saying 'I told you so'. Apparently Mr Kitkat didn't want to be interviewed today when the news broke. What a surprise.
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I heard he’s got a lot of fingers in a lot of pies
 




seagullsovergrimsby

seagullsovergrimsby

#cpfctinpotclub
Aug 21, 2005
43,976
Crap Town
If the council sell it for £1 they could move it to Cleethorpes :giggle:
 


hart's shirt

hart's shirt

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2003
11,163
Kitbag in Dubai
Fair play @Westdene Seagull , you called it right from the start as did plenty of others still posting on here.

Here's the 2015 thread link. https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/threads/brighton-i360-construction-update.323211/

Even factoring in the benefit of hindsight, it's probably fair to say that parts of it weren't ever likely to age well once the Kool Aid and money ran out.

"How can any Brightonian NOT be excited by this? We are watching the construction of an iconic landmark in our city which will be enjoyed by millions of people over generations - decades, maybe even centuries."
 


G

goldstone

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 5, 2003
7,193
Ha, ha, ha!! Don't know whoever thought it was going to be a success? Stupid idea. Waste of money which could have been put towards rebuilding West Pier.
 








Seaview Seagull

Seaview Seagull

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Mar 1, 2021
576
Westdene Seagull said:
A credible track record ? Putting aside the council, Barfields Architects were the main organisation involved in Brighton i360 Ltd ( in partnership with the West Pier Trust ). Neither organisation had ever run a tourist attraction. Barfields were close to bankrupt when they were awarded the contract by the council. Suddenly they earn millions.

This debacle shows :

1. Councillors and council employees should never tread where private enterprise should be - they are not skilled enough to run this type of thing. Equally, private enterprise refused to fund it .... errrr ..... RED FLAG !

2. The business case was a complete bunch of fairy tales yet idiots fell for it. I'd direct you to some posts by @The Large One but it appears he's had his account deleted so finding the posts is difficult ( or possibly impossible if he also asked for his posts to be deleted as well ).

3. Councillors should be personally financially liable for agreeing these sort of projects. I'm sure Theobald hasn't lost his mansion on Dyke Road and that Kitcat is doing well for himself after he ran away from the mess he created
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Seaview Seagull

Seaview Seagull

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Mar 1, 2021
576
Westdene Seagull said:
A credible track record ? Putting aside the council, Barfields Architects were the main organisation involved in Brighton i360 Ltd ( in partnership with the West Pier Trust ). Neither organisation had ever run a tourist attraction. Barfields were close to bankrupt when they were awarded the contract by the council. Suddenly they earn millions.

This debacle shows :

1. Councillors and council employees should never tread where private enterprise should be - they are not skilled enough to run this type of thing. Equally, private enterprise refused to fund it .... errrr ..... RED FLAG !
2. The business case was a complete bunch of fairy tales yet idiots fell for it. I'd direct you to some posts by @The Large One but it appears he's had his account deleted so finding the posts is difficult ( or possibly impossible if he also asked for his posts to be deleted as well ).

3. Councillors should be personally financially liable for agreeing these sort of projects. I'm sure Theobald hasn't lost his mansion on Dyke Road and that Kitcat is doing well for himself after he ran away from the mess he created
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If councillors were financially liable nothing innovative would ever be done because the risk would be too great.
 




dejavuatbtn

dejavuatbtn

Well-known member
Aug 4, 2010
7,624
Henfield
Herr Tubthumper said:
I guess Brighton council is therefore a creditor, and I presume the main one. What’s the situation now? Can they take it back as payment?
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I think they were effectively guarantors for the loan from government and became liable once the company went tits up.
We can all look back and remember it always looked like a white elephant and in hindsight the council money lost would have never had been spent on this type of project. As it is the council has landed itself with a monumental debt that is only going to get paid for by either selling any silverware it has or by its tax payers. In the meantime people are losing their jobs and services have gone to pot, and getting worse of that’s possibLe.
…… and the decision makers from that time are probably retired and living a fine life with a nice pension and no accountability.
 


H

Hometownglory

Well-known member
Jan 12, 2014
725
Most expensive donut on a pole ever. To think we could potentially be left to service this debt for generations is taking the piss. If they wanted to give visitors an experience and show off Brighton, then perhaps they should of prioritised the basics first. IMO caring and preserving our historic seafront is what was needed, not building a pole to oversee its decay from above. It's sad seeing Brighton's promenade in its current state. Rusty railings that'll give you tetanus, broken seating areas, heritage seafront lighting removed for safety reasons....could go on! Rant over.
 


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