THE Palace Pier has been part of my life ever since I moved to Brighton almost 50 years ago.

Then it was run by a small local company which put money into maintenance but did not have the cash for it to compete in a changing world of leisure.

It was charmingly old fashioned with some of its slot machines identical to those placed in museums elsewhere in Britain.

Pier manager Bill Everett was a real expert on machines and took pride in showing me how they worked.

They included several ancient What the Butler Saw machines which matched Brighton’s reputation for naughtiness when they were installed but which had become terribly tame.

It couldn’t continue and the pier’s fate was sealed in 1973 when a barge tethered to the landing stage broke free during a sudden storm.

I was there when the barge bashed the pier, sending several structures to a watery grave including a phone box. In true Brighton fashion, when this was recovered a few months later, someone had already stolen the cash.

The pier reopened but was sold to the Noble Organisation from the north east which brought about much-needed change. I would go as far as to say they saved it.

They abolished the entrance toll, extended the opening hours and installed lights so that it looked even better at night than during the day.

But not everything they did was good. The much-loved theatre had to be demolished following the barge disaster but was mysteriously mislaid while in store and has never been replaced.

The new rides were popular but damaged the appearance of the pier, a listed building. Noble obsessively opposed the renovation of the West Pier leaving it vulnerable to fire and tempest.

They also renamed their attraction Brighton Pier to indicate there was only one show in town. But the punters did not like it and many like me obstinately still use the old name.

There were signs a few years ago that Noble was tiring of Brighton and it put the pier up for sale. Now the deed has finally been done.

It was probably time for a change. The new owners have interests in Brighton and are buzzing with ideas for improvements.

I’ve lost loads of money on the gambling machines, enjoyed seeing comedians like the late Ronnie Corbett in summer shows and been thrilled by some of the rides including the celebrated helter skelter.

I’ll be back along with millions of others during the next year and would make two pleas to the new owners.

Can they call it the Palace Pier again and can we please have our theatre back?