A major milestone in the construction of the world’s largest moving observation tower was hailed this morning.

The main parts of the Brighton i360 arrived by barge on Brighton beach as VIPs watched on.

There were gasps as the Dutch barge manoeuvred tightly around the wreckage of the West Pier in moderate winds.

But it was safely navigated to shore, with a giant crane now beginning to hoist off the cans which make up the tower.

The leading architect behind the ambitious project said it was the culmination of 10 years of hard work - including plenty of recession-era uncertainty over its future.

The occasion was celebrated at Alfresco restaurant attended by the leader and chief executive of Brighton and Hove City Council, which helped secure the loan for the project, as well as the mayor, the High Sheriff, police chief superintendent and top hotel managers.

David Marks, managing director of i360 designer Marks Barfield Architects, said: “Ten years we set off on a journey to bring the i360 to Brighton and Hove.

“It is fantastically exciting for all of us after all this time, preparation, planning, the will it, won’t it, to see it finally coming together.

“Today marks a major milestone in construction project. This is the part when it starts to come out of the ground and starts to reach up to the sky.”

Mr Marks, who also designed the London Eye, explained the “not very obvious” construction process, which involves building the tower in reverse, with the top pieces attached first, which are held up by a jacking tower like a “vertical factory”.

He said it would be “very slender” at 40 times higher than it is wide.

Meanwhile i360 chief executive Eleanor Harris promised the attraction, predicted to bring 800,00 to the city, would be “good news for everyone in the city”.

The tower is predicted to benefit the city by £25 million, which Mrs Harris said it would “definitely deliver”.

She added: “It’s hard to believe it was just a year ago we reached financial close and got cracking.

“This is a world’s first - the first vertical cable car, the first largest moving observation tower “We will open doors and bring new business into the city. It’s good news for everyone in the city.”