Tower will bring in more tourists and help fund services

No, not just because summer is finally here and tens of thousands of people will flock to the seaside.

It’s because this week will see a different kind of invasion, this one by sea.

Thursday will see the first part of the main structure of the i360 observation tower lifted on to the shore.

With the backdrop of the crumbling West Pier, the creation of the city’s new ‘vertical pier’ will be quite a sight.

It will be an historic moment, even if you think the project is a waste of time.

Let’s be clear though: I’m not one of the haters out there who’s opposed to any attempt to improve this, let’s be honest, slightly shabby city for the better.

“It looks ugly. It’s a waste of money. No one’s going to go on it.” You could have turned all the i360 nay-sayers into bingo callers, such was the predictability of their complaints.

When people were moaning about it, I was telling them: “Look, this is going to be good.”

The big argument against it is that taxpayers’ money is going to be used.

In short, the city council has drawn down £36.2 million from the Government – about 40% of the total cost – and then handed it over to Marks Barfield, the company behind the i360.

But let’s be clear. This is not the council bankrolling the whole thing. It’s a loan – a business deal.

And the taxpayer will benefit very well from it, thank you very much.

In return the council expects annual interest payments of more than £1 million in addition to 1% of all ticket sales.

With ticket prices around the £10 mark (not extortionate for this kind of thing) that’s 10p into the council’s coffers for every person that hops aboard.

If there are 500,000 visitors, that’s £50,000 straight into council funds, which can be spent on things like education, transport and housing.

All you moaners out there, have you got a better idea as to how to raise all that money?

The only other credible way to do this would be parking charges and I think I know what your answer to that would be.

Already there is news around the world about Brighton’s big tower.

When it’s open I’ve no doubt it will become as synonymous with the city as the 18th-century Royal Pavilion and the 19th-century West Pier.

All of which makes it odd that this world class attraction is kicking up a fuss over a trumped up little rival.

The Brighton Wheel seems intent on riding on the crest of the i360’s – and the city’s – wave by applying to stay on its seafront site for an extra five years.

And you can’t really blame them.

With the i360 potentially bringing another 750,000 people a year into the city, there are 750,000 reasons to want to stay.

The majority of its costs – bringing the wheel here in the first place – have now been met and taking it somewhere else will only require more funds.

Not that this means I’ll ever go on it as personally I think it’s over-priced and a bit pointless.

But I get that some people enjoy it.

And surely, in a city with eight million-plus tourists, there’s room for the both of them.

So why then are those behind the i360 getting so worked up about it?

Those at the wheel say lawyers acting for the observation tower have made three separate submissions to the local authority on why it should not stay.

The argument goes that the wheel was only granted planning permission for as long as the i360 was being built.

Sure, by applying to stay, the wheel is going against that deal – but times do change.

And even though it stands to benefit from the i360’s success, all the council can do is handle the request as they would any planning issue – in as even-handed a way as possible.

What the outcome will be, it is too soon to say.

But what I can say is that the i360’s near hysterical response to this challenge is silly, verging on damaging.

What sort of message is it sending when it seems to be running scared from a rival?

What next? Calls for the SeaLife Centre to shut? A petition for the Palace Pier to close in the winter? Lobbying for the circus to be kicked out of town?

Given the choice between a truly world class attraction or a trumped up fairground ride, I know which one I would choose.

And I’m guessing the majority of punters will take the same view.

I’ve got total faith that the i360 will do great things for the city.

But in order for it to be the massive success it deserves to be, it’s got to become part of Brighton and Hove and work with what’s already here, not just a day tripper enjoying the city when the sun shines.