i360 is going ahead. Former potential investor has been arrested.

[BBassic]

Still don't understand the point of this thing.

You'll be able to see: the sea, the city and the Downs. All of which can be seen from other vantage points that don't require the construction of an expensive eyesore.

The only upside I can see is that idiot tourists will flock to it.

 

[jackanada]

I wish the thread title was both current and accurate.

Oh you mods! X

 

[Megazone]

Give it 30 years and they'll be knocking it down. No one will ever go on the itower more than once, especially locals.

Tacky tourism.

 

[vegster]

Give it 30 years and they'll be knocking it down. No one will ever go on the itower more than once, especially locals.

Tacky tourism.

As tacky as that crap wheel by the Palace Pier.

 

[GingerBeerMan]

As tacky as that crap wheel by the Palace Pier.

I don't mind the wheel. Madeira Drive used to be a 'no-go' area of Brighton, but now it's a lively and safe street. Adding The Gym and the wheel (which seems to have 24/7 security) makes the road feel a lot safer. Also it's only temporary, it can be taken down when it gets past it's sell by date, and it was cheap. The i360 on the other hand will offer nothing to the West Pier area, will be a huge waste of money and will be standing for at least the next fifty years

 

[Hotchilidog]

I don't mind the wheel. Madeira Drive used to be a 'no-go' area of Brighton, but now it's a lively and safe street. Adding The Gym and the wheel (which seems to have 24/7 security) makes the road feel a lot safer. Also it's only temporary, it can be taken down when it gets past it's sell by date, and it was cheap. The i360 on the other hand will offer nothing to the West Pier area, will be a huge waste of money and will be standing for at least the next fifty years

Disagree, I think it will bring plenty of tourists to the West Pier/Preston St Area and could potentially lead to revival of a once vibrant area. Tourists love this sort of thing and despite what you may think Brighton remains the most visited seaside resort in the UK. I'm looking forward to its completion.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

IMHO the custodians of the West Pier Trust could do with a LOT more scrutiny.

 

[StonehamPark]

I don't understand how the developers think this will make money.
The 'Brighton Eye' a few yards down the road that does the same thing, doesn't it?

Am I missing something?

King Alfred Renovation/Black Rock Ice Rink - Yes Please.

 

[Munkfish]

I don't mind things being built, but what about destinations for locals for **** sake, it was the same when we were looking to build Falmer, people would bend over backwards for tourists but people seems to give less ****s about the citys football team.

The centre of London I get it, the Centre of another city yeah maybe. the coast, whats the ****ing point?

 

[Pogue Mahone]

I don't understand how the developers think this will make money.
The 'Brighton Eye' a few yards down the road that does the same thing, doesn't it?

Am I missing something?

King Alfred Renovation/Black Rock Ice Rink - Yes Please.

The Brighton Wheel was only ever going to be temporary, and will move on when the i360 is built.

The King Alfred Gehry design would have been brilliant. A huge pity that this didn't go ahead, it was a wonderful design.

They are building tower blocks at the Marina at the moment, so presumably Black Rock will have to wait.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Complete waste of money. what is the point of going up there to see, er ..... the sea or Brighton, neither of which have anything of interest to look at. No local will go up - you might get some tourists idiots I guess.

Can't afford to pay the dustmen but can afford this waste product.

 

[Hotchilidog]

The King Alfred Gehry design would have been brilliant. A huge pity that this didn't go ahead, it was a wonderful design.

Agreed. A real shame this didn't come to pass. Curse of the nimby strikes again.

 

[drew]

God there are some boring farts on this thread. Without tourists, Brighton wouldn't be the city it is.

 

[goldstone]

i360 is an awful awful thing. It will be a case of if you build it, no-one will come. What will be the point? What is there to see that you can't see from one of Brighton's hills? A pointless waste of public money. And all the disruption to the promenade which irritates the hell out of me.

 

[kip]

This will be the same Mike Holland who broke planning permission at the Engineerium and wants to close a public footpath at Stanmer ? The guy is a **** !!!!!

What footpath in Stanmer? I use Stanmer every day to walk my dog and ride my bike, I hate these developers that think they can just trample over everybody so they can make even more money. If I know what path it is I'll make a point of using it more

 

[Pogue Mahone]

God there are some boring farts on this thread. Without tourists, Brighton wouldn't be the city it is.

Exactly. And the i360 will become a focal point, attracting more visitors. The whole area around it will become lively and energetic, a place you would want to be a part of. Let's face it, it's awful around the West Pier at the moment.

Do people remember what the seafront used to be like 20 years ago? Awful - only a much smaller version of The Fortune of War, which only opened in summer (and even then, only when they felt like it) and the Zap Club.

The regeneration in the 90s has made the whole area attractive to tourists and locals alike.

The i360 would be brilliant for Brighton in my opinion.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

What footpath in Stanmer? I use Stanmer every day to walk my dog and ride my bike, I hate these developers that think they can just trample over everybody so they can make even more money. If I know what path it is I'll make a point of using it more

There's a public footpath that goes through the grounds of Stanmer House which Mike Holland's company wanted closed - http://www.stanmer.org.uk/footpath.php

 

[Triggaaar]

Agreed. A real shame this didn't come to pass. Curse of the nimby strikes again.

The tower would have been good, but not the huge mass of buildings around it.

 

[symyjym]

I don't mind the i360 but it should have been built out to sea at the end of a new pier. I think they missed an obvious trick on that one.

 

[Spider]

I'm of the opinion that the i360 could be a boost to that particular area - you can see already that businesses are arriving and banking on an upsurge in tourism when it arrives - trendy eateries like The New Club and The Salt Room are both examples. Given that it's slap bang in the touristy area of the seafront, with the expensive hotels right around it, this could become a bit of a hub. I think the actual tower itself is something of a white elephant though, especially if they need to get the kind of numbers on it that were claimed a while back. Simply put. after year 1, this is going to be empty for half the year. That's all very well for the bars and cafes around the base, but when you have a building as obtrusive as this is going to be, it seems odd to stick it there when it will basically be a useless spike for a good proportion of the year. I think locals will go on it, but only once or twice, so once that has worn off I just don't see who is going to be going up in a wet week in Febuary.

I just hope the promised plans for the base of the tower, including the artistic quarter and the West Pier kiosk, and the regeneration of Regency Square, come to fruition as these are what are really attractive about the project for me.