Brighton i360

Brighton i360 is a 162-metre (531 ft) moving observation tower on the seafront of Brighton, East Sussex, England, at the landward end of the remains of the West Pier. The tower opened on 4 August 2016. From the fully enclosed viewing pod, visitors experience 360-degree views across Brighton, the South Downs and the English Channel. Brighton i360 was designed, engineered, manufactured and promoted by the team responsible for the London Eye. The attraction cost £46 million, with £36 million being funded by a Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) loan through Brighton and Hove City Council. Planning permission was granted in 2006, with the then Labour leader of the council, Simon Burgess, stating that "It is going to transform the city. The i360 will be a familiar picture postcard image - recognisable throughout the world. It will generate huge amounts of cash and benefit the city's economy all year round." The following year the Secretary of State for Transport, Douglas Alexander, amended legislation which would have otherwise threatened the project due to restrictive land lease terms. The Brighton West Pier Harbour Revision Order 2007 granted under the then Labour government conferred powers to the Brighton West Pier Trust for leasing the pier and making byelaws to regulate the pier, allowing the i360 project to move forward. Formerly known as the British Airways i360 for sponsorship purposes, the project originally aimed to attract 739,000 paying customers every year. The owner of the site, the West Pier Trust, hoped in 2014 that a successful i360 would lead to the rebuilding of the historic West Pier. Visitor numbers never reached those projected and, in December 2022, having also felt the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the tourism industry, the i360 defaulted on the debt it owed the council. By June 2023, the i360's...