[Brighton] i360 filing for administration

Hotchilidog · 2024-11-27T15:30:55+0000

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.

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.

PTC Gull · 2024-11-27T15:33:26+0000

Well its certainly had its ups and downs. I sure someone can turn it around.
I'll get m'coat.....

Official Old Man · 2024-11-27T15:39:08+0000

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.

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 · 2024-11-27T15:41:30+0000

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.

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 · 2024-11-27T15:44:08+0000

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 · 2024-11-27T15:44:48+0000

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.

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.

jcdenton08 · 2024-11-27T15:56:41+0000

A farce from start to finish. What a waste of money :nono:

Paulie Gualtieri · 2024-11-27T16:32:20+0000

jackalbion said:
The Jack Stephenson Kiss of Death falls itself upon another one of my former workplaces.

Did you happen to work at a Croydon based football club pre 2010?

Herr Tubthumper · 2024-11-27T16:35:29+0000

PTC Gull said:
Well its certainly had its ups and downs. I sure someone can turn it around.
I'll get m'coat.....

I’ve already done this gag :facepalm:

Herr Tubthumper · 2024-11-27T16:38:04+0000

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.

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 · 2024-11-27T16:38:40+0000

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.

I heard he’s got a lot of fingers in a lot of pies

seagullsovergrimsby · 2024-11-27T16:40:09+0000

If the council sell it for £1 they could move it to Cleethorpes

hart's shirt · 2024-11-27T16:40:26+0000

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."

goldstone · 2024-11-27T16:58:41+0000

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.

southstandandy · 2024-11-27T17:06:04+0000

New idea!

Cable car direct from the i360 the the Amex. Problem solved!

PTC Gull · 2024-11-27T17:15:12+0000

Herr Tubthumper said:
I’ve already done this gag

I should have gone to Specsavers.. :facepalm:

Seaview Seagull · 2024-11-27T17:30:20+0000

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

Seaview Seagull · 2024-11-27T17:32:38+0000

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

If councillors were financially liable nothing innovative would ever be done because the risk would be too great.

dejavuatbtn · 2024-11-27T17:37:05+0000

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?

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.

Hometownglory · 2024-11-27T17:43:51+0000

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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[Brighton] i360 filing for administration

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