News RSS Feed Send your news, pictures & videos


Time is running out for the Brighton i360

10:30am Wednesday 15th September 2010 in News By James Wallin

WHEN WILL WE SEE IT? An artist's impression of the i360 WHEN WILL WE SEE IT? An artist's impression of the i360

Time is running out for the Brighton i360 to be ready for the London Olympics.

Developers are ready to auction off the attraction’s name in a bid to close its funding gap.

But with a 21-month construction time the £40 million project is now out of time for its deadline of the Games in July 2012.

Marks Barfield, the firm behind the 175m observation tower, is approaching “big name” international companies to buy the naming rights for the attraction.

Tony Mernagh, of the Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership, said: "I would expect a business whose core market is young and trendy would be attracted to this, someone like a fashion label or maybe an alcohol brand.

"It sounds like they are looking to tie in a company for life, so we could be talking about the Smirnoff Tower in a few years' time."

or full report see today's Argus.

Comments(43)

My Point of View says...
10:37am Wed 15 Sep 10

"Time is running out for the Brighton i360 to be ready for the London Olympics". ..............

"But with a 21-month construction time the £40 million project is now out of time for its deadline of the Games in July 2012."

WHICH IS IT!


Must try harder James, or you will not get a job in journalism when you leave school.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Burgess901 says...
10:54am Wed 15 Sep 10

The very notion of naming an attraction (word used loosely) after an alcoholic product sums up what is wrong with this country.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Stripes says...
11:17am Wed 15 Sep 10

What about the "i-don't get it".

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

jadexlewis says...
11:38am Wed 15 Sep 10

Surely the answer is obvious? With the i prefix, get Apple to sponsor it. Much as I hate them and every overrated gimmick-laden piece of rubbish with which they flood the market, just imagine the money...

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

LMS says...
12:23pm Wed 15 Sep 10

I'm surprised this is still going ahead. Ah well, can't wait to reach the top of the Smirnoff-Primark Tower to see 180 degrees of sea

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Wiggsy says...
12:32pm Wed 15 Sep 10

The usual shambles when it comes to any project in B&H.

Wan't building work supposed to have started last summer?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Angryoldman says...
12:44pm Wed 15 Sep 10

As long as it's not the starbucks Tower or it will be surrounded by the great unwashed protesting as usual.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

My Point of View says...
12:54pm Wed 15 Sep 10

Pride in Brighton! great name for an erection such as this.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

leobrighton says...
12:58pm Wed 15 Sep 10

Tesco Tower perhaps . .

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

kerryfee says...
1:06pm Wed 15 Sep 10

jadexlewis wrote:
Surely the answer is obvious? With the i prefix, get Apple to sponsor it. Much as I hate them and every overrated gimmick-laden piece of rubbish with which they flood the market, just imagine the money...
Absolutely spot on "the itower" wonder if the developer has even considered this. Apple are one of the few firms who could afford to sponsor this.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Granny says...
1:13pm Wed 15 Sep 10

HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

jyan says...
1:41pm Wed 15 Sep 10

The Marmite Tower

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Living in the real world says...
1:52pm Wed 15 Sep 10

How about the "better (?) late than never" Tower

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

stephencrane says...
2:26pm Wed 15 Sep 10

You could call it the Guinness Clock Tower, as it is near where the Guinness Clock was until the middle of the 60's.

and...

This one never got built either:

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

ex-pat seagull says...
2:30pm Wed 15 Sep 10

40 million quid!!!!!!! good job that there's nothing better to spend the money on?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

stephencrane says...
2:32pm Wed 15 Sep 10

Hmmm URL remover:

Let's try that again:

h t t p : / / www.britishpathe.com
/record.php?id=71127

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

tim e says...
2:35pm Wed 15 Sep 10

How much will be raised in naming rights for an unfinanced project? Last time this farce was mentioned there was a shortfall of at least £20 million to get this off the ground. Smacks of desperation, never to get built.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

strange fish says...
2:37pm Wed 15 Sep 10

Eifel Down?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Morpheus says...
2:37pm Wed 15 Sep 10

The last time we heard from this crowd didn't they say that all the funding was in place and they would start work on time. How much longer will this saga go on for before they admit it will not be built? Perhaps then we can do something about the mess they have left on the seafront.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Nick Brighton says...
2:58pm Wed 15 Sep 10

iSore?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

aly-lou says...
3:18pm Wed 15 Sep 10

I disagree with people who are arguing about it being an 'isore' - GET WITH THE TIMES! We are privileged in our city to have some fantastic buildings and architecture... All of which someone would of objected to... The Piers for instance? Stop being so small minded and accept change. It will help you to be more positive in your own life, if you stop harbouring negativity about situations that you have no control over.

I personally would be happy for it to be called the Smirnoff tower... It's a good advertisement both ways. People who drink Smirnoff will talk of the tower in Southern England, I think it could even bring more tourists to the City. A popular brand name that is considered 'fashionable or cool' would help keep our city vibrant and fresh.

So lets get these investors to help us get that tower up and show our wonderful city off to the rest of the World... EMBRACE CHANGE PEOPLE!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Gee Jay says...
3:43pm Wed 15 Sep 10

I agree, it will bring people into Brighton and Hove.
Projects these days take so long to get up and running, and cost an absolute fortune before they can even start building.
The new Amex stadium at Falmer is a prime example, protests and objections have added millions to the cost. but it will be a splendid addition.
Come on Brighton and Hove, you let the West Pier(the Queen of Piers) fall apart. Get behind this imaginative project and stop being negative.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

TyneLiz says...
3:58pm Wed 15 Sep 10

If the alcohol companies aren't interested, the Council could try the local drug dealers.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Rob_in_Tulsa says...
4:11pm Wed 15 Sep 10

I think I prefer the look of the tower in the video link posted by Stephencrane.. wondering though how Apple have not blocked the name the i360 as they seem to block anything else that is competition to them!! As for the timescale, I work in the construction industry.. if they do manage to secure the funding then they should bring in a Korean contractor.. they would have it erected in half the time!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Rob_in_Tulsa says...
4:13pm Wed 15 Sep 10

Hmm... maybe they should paint it like a stick of Brighton rock!!!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

DoubleD says...
4:16pm Wed 15 Sep 10

Rob_in_Tulsa wrote:
Hmm... maybe they should paint it like a stick of Brighton rock!!!
As tacky as that would be, it would suit Brighton perfectly!
In fact, get the colour palette right and that could look awesome!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Nick Brighton says...
4:21pm Wed 15 Sep 10

aly-lou wrote:
I disagree with people who are arguing about it being an 'isore' - GET WITH THE TIMES! We are privileged in our city to have some fantastic buildings and architecture... All of which someone would of objected to... The Piers for instance? Stop being so small minded and accept change. It will help you to be more positive in your own life, if you stop harbouring negativity about situations that you have no control over.

I personally would be happy for it to be called the Smirnoff tower... It's a good advertisement both ways. People who drink Smirnoff will talk of the tower in Southern England, I think it could even bring more tourists to the City. A popular brand name that is considered 'fashionable or cool' would help keep our city vibrant and fresh.

So lets get these investors to help us get that tower up and show our wonderful city off to the rest of the World... EMBRACE CHANGE PEOPLE!
Thank you for the homily. I feel much better as a result and will endeavour to improve my sad little life.

1) Change is not always for the best, whether it be something as simple as a tower or as complex as a rubbish incinerator in Newhaven or a sewage treatment works in Peacehaven. It's a matter of degree and opinion. Change should always be challenged and scrutinised. We embrace the things we like, we challenge the ones we don't.
2) Go try the Spinaker Tower in Pompey, before you say how wonderful the i360 is. Remember, 180 degrees of it are just water, and the other 180 are Portsmouth. In essence, Brighton is no different. And I love Brighton.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

leobrighton says...
4:24pm Wed 15 Sep 10

TESCO should sponsor it!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Tony Hove says...
4:41pm Wed 15 Sep 10

We should promote cutting edge projects if Brighton wants to be a top UK tourist destination.

This is a super slender design that is to be built in a fantastic location. Thumbs up from me.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Christophe Hawtree says...
8:17pm Wed 15 Sep 10

Some amusing comments here. Vintage banter.

But nobody has mentioned the obvious point. What on earth has this ithingy got to do with the Olympics? Aren't the Olympics a case of physical exertion? Leaping over fences, running a mile in a minute, swimming through lakes of piranha fish, and all that? Trampolining in skintight clothing to get the viewing figures up? That sort of thing.

But the ithingy is simply a case of standing around and being pushed up above Brighton without any effort at all.

And then being able to say, "look there's Worthing, Peacehaven, Hangleton, and a spot of bother in Whitehawk": that is, assuming the sea fret has not wafted in...

I simply do not see what the Olympics have to do with the ithingy. It all smacks of marketing-man desperation. Shorthand for which is: Fanshawe.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Acheron says...
9:59pm Wed 15 Sep 10

jadexlewis wrote:
Surely the answer is obvious? With the i prefix, get Apple to sponsor it. Much as I hate them and every overrated gimmick-laden piece of rubbish with which they flood the market, just imagine the money...
Best not, given the problems Apple having been having with jumpers from their workshops etc it might give people the wrong idea!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Lady Smith says...
10:19pm Wed 15 Sep 10

'"It sounds like they are looking to tie in a company for life, so we could be talking about the Smirnoff Tower in a few years' time."

What a complete load of tosh! Did Tony Murnagh work as a spin doctor for Tony Blair - the language is SOOOO similar.... No-one really wants this here, except the West Pier Trust saddoes, who think this will keep their bogus 'dream' alive. There are some times in this city's history that you really have to accept that's what's gone, is gone, and it's not coming back. This is one of those times.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

saveHOVE says...
12:45am Thu 16 Sep 10

"Tony Hove", you may care to know that this "super slender" pole is over 4 metres in diameter (nearly 16 feet wide) and has a spiral staircase running up through it (for maintenance and escape in the event of need should the pod get jammed at the top in - say - a power failure.

I'm dreaming you get to walk down that spiral staircase yourself if it gets built.

This is a pathetic and trivial toy and the photos in the print edition of the Argus today showed EXACTLY how boring it would be too. There is no way under the sun that the massive investment needed would ever be recouped.

Time Tony Mernagh considered well-deserved retirement rather than peddle tosh like this for something to do. If a commercial outfit had money to waste on this, can just see it festooned with banners and plastered on adverts, can't you? vile.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

thewhitedog says...
2:15am Thu 16 Sep 10

£40 million pounds! The thing's an eye-sore and should never be built. And as for a sponsor, why should everything be tied up with money and advertising? If the thing is worth building, build it and have done.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Gee Jay says...
7:21am Thu 16 Sep 10

I expect some of the people of Paris said the same thng about Monsieur Eiffle's project.

The London Eye was going to be doomed to failure as well.

New Yorkers said 'What do we want this huge French Statue stuck out on that island for?'

Some moaners in Cairo said 'we don't want those huge tombs building just outside our city' (then again, perhaps they didn't get the chance to complain in those times.......how lucky we are to be able to voice our opinions!)

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

iceman00 says...
7:23am Thu 16 Sep 10

I'm looking forward to it being built. It's gonna be great.

Lets just block out all the nimbys and eventually encourage them to move to Worthing

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

obiwanshinobi says...
8:06am Thu 16 Sep 10

It is a tower, so maybe a mobile phone company like T-mobile could sponsor it? I agree Apple would also have the funds to make them a realistic endorser too. Perhaps a collaboration?

They could call it the T-iTower.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Dr Sphincter says...
9:01am Thu 16 Sep 10

http://www.monsieurc
asanova.it/
Italian cravate manufacturer interested in sponsorship. Wants to call it the 'i-tie' tower.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Always working says...
10:00am Thu 16 Sep 10

Couldn't that £40m be better spent?????? I think so

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Tom V says...
10:14am Thu 16 Sep 10

I remember everyone saying the London Eye would be an eyesore and a waste of money - now look how popular it is. Hope they get sponsorship soon.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Burgess901 says...
11:35am Thu 16 Sep 10

The argument that this eye-sore will attract more visitors, like Brighton needs to encourage tourists, have you seen the heaving masses descend upon this town when the sun shines?
Also, look at the Spinaker tower, what a waste of time.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

bug eye says...
5:24pm Thu 16 Sep 10

was a great idea shame about the complete bafoons behind the scheme, what kind of half hearted attempt will actually happen. ASDA TOWER doo doo da doo doo da da, or EASY TOWER fight for your own seat, and huge delay.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

dunderheads says...
2:32pm Sun 19 Sep 10

iDiotic Tower
iKEA! with the Blue and yellow hoops
Sussex Police Tower 'ABOVE THE LAW!'
iLostmyjob (Due to another Pole)
iRan out of Money Tower
iMissed the Olympics
iMnotwanted Tower

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

click2find

Most popular






About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree