Brighton and Hove has been arguing about the future of the West Pier since it closed to the public in September 1975.

Those arguments have intensified after a controversial planning application for restoring the pier and building leisure pavilions nearby was submitted to the city council last year.

Last month, there was a decisive majority on the planning committee in favour of the application from the Brighton West Pier Trust and developers St Modwen.

Now the Government has decided not to call it in for a public inquiry, which means the project can at last go ahead.

The partial collapse of the concert hall shows there is no time to lose. This decision means urgent work can be carried out before more storms next winter.

It could also lead to a start being made on restoring the pier next year and to the whole project being finished on the 30th anniversary of the closure.

The leisure pavilions on either side are not ideal but they can be made into a feature of the seafront to complement the successful development between the piers.

What opponents should do now is follow the example of former Brighton mayor Danny Sheldon, who fought the marina development with all his might.

When he lost, he decided, for the sake of Brighton, to help make the marina the best in Britain and worked towards that end for the rest of his life.

The West Pier is the most beautiful pier ever built. Friends and foes should now unite and ensure its restoration is a triumph for the city.