Whither the West Pier?

Geoff Lockwood, chief executive of Brighton West Pier Trust, has finally admitted defeat. In his latest statement on the future of the pier, The Ravages of Wind and Fire, published this month on the Trust's website he accepts that the West Pier will not be "restored". Of course, all hopes of genuine restoration went some years back, especially after the disastrous fires of 2003 which has left nothing standing but the burnt-out steel framework of the pier. Any restoration today could be nothing more than a pastiche or replica of the original Victorian structure, and therefore not worth the doing.

So why did the Trust fail. Mr Lockwood gives a number of reasons. The bureaucracy of the Heritage Lottery Fund (who were putting up the millions of public money needed), the "vexatious opposition of the Noble Organisation" (owners of Brighton Pier) who were determined to prevent the restoration "by all possible means", the years of delay and thus further physical deterioration of the pier at the hands of sea and storm, and the finally the work of "professional arsonists".

Mr Lockwood writes: "The fire fighters I was with in the burning structures had no doubt that the fires had been professionally planned; combustible timers placed at night and approached from the sea (we had 24 hour security watch at the landward end). Professional, so which opponents to our plans paid them?"

The crime has never been solved.

Mr Lockwood has scaled down the Trust's ambition for the pier to some kind of heritage centre on the foreshore site of the old pier. I believe that the Trust has in store a good many artefacts from the 'old lady' to fill a small museum.

Let's hope it happens. The Trust intends to announce its new plans early in 2006.

So, the city will have to be content with having only one pier: Brighton Pier. Or will it? Perhaps a completely new pier should be built. Not another Brighton pier. No, Brighton Pier is very good at what it does, but we don't need another - thank you, very much!

What we could have is a 21st century pier, museum, and visitor attraction which would be a demonstration of sustainable technologies. That should bring world-class international architects, technologists, and environmentalists to the design table. And since our one remaining pier is now called Brighton Pier (formerly known as Palace Pier) the new pier should be called Hove Pier and sited on the esplanade, opposite Brunswick Square.

Thus the two-town city of Brighton & Hove would have two piers.

Why not?

See Geof Lockwood's report here

Further info about Brighton's piers here