Take a flight to the skies on British Airways i360 in Brighton

From Wole Shadare in London

British Airways’ i360 opened in 2016 in Brighton and Hove, a resort city on the south coast of England. It is the world’s tallest moving observation tower and was conceived and designed by Marks Barfield Architects, creators of the London Eye.

They were approached by countless countries who wanted an ‘Eye’ but found out that a similar wheel design would not be financially viable without a suitable site and sufficient visitor numbers, so David and Julia went back to the drawing table and designed British Airways i360.

The British Airways i360 design has many advantages including a larger more versatile glass viewing pod, a large visitor building at its foot and a lower capital cost.

During the formal three-month consultation period, hundreds of residents came to see a public exhibition of the plans near the site, 500 questionnaires were completed (all but 7 supportive of the scheme), and extensive consultation took place with public and private-sector bodies.

British Airways i360 is one of the only major project planning applications in the city’s history that received cross-party unanimous support from the planning committee. It was backed by English Heritage and all the conservation groups in the city, as well as the local business community and tourism sector. An overwhelming number of residents wrote in favour of the project.

Then in 2008, just as the BAi360 was about to start work, the global financial crisis paralysed investments. The depth of the crisis meant that it took 5 years before a new funding package could be put together.

In November we announced British Airways as our official naming rights sponsor and our name officially changed to British Airways i360 in a five year deal with one this country’s most iconic and respected travel brands. BA operates more than 40,000 flights a year from Gatwick airport where it employs 2,500 people. This partnership has resulted in the attraction being promoted around the world.

In 2012, the newly-formed Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership pledged support for the BAi360 with a £3m loan (which was eventually increased to £4m). At the same time, Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC), agreed to borrow money from the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) to provide a loan for the BAi360.

The PWLB is a central government fund which specifically can only be used to fund commercial projects and is not allowed to be spent on funding essential services or other infrastructure projects. The Council acts as a ‘middle man’ and is able borrow at a very low interest rate and lend the money to the BAi360 at a higher rate, earning a profit on the loan. No council tax has been used and the profit on this loan will earn the Council over £1m per year, which can be used to fund essential services.

In March 2014, the total funding package was agreed. The total project cost is £46m with a £36m 27-year loan from the Council via the PWLB; £4m 7-year loan from Coast to Capital (C2C) and £6m from the management team

Visitors glide gently from ground level up to 138c (450ft) in a fully enclosed glass observation pod for breath-taking, 360-degree views across Brighton and Hove, the south Downs and the beautiful Sussex coastline.

The British Airways 1360 pod is ten times the size of a London Eye capsule and carries up to 175 passengers.

Flights depart every 30 mins. As guests enjoy the unfolding views they can walk around freely and enjoy a drink from Nyetimber Sky Bar, which serves award-winning English speaking sparkling wine and other drinks from the region.

Afterwards, they can dine, shop or celebrate in the British Airways 1360 beach building. The West Beach Bar and Kitchen serves dishes inspired by the season prepared using many locally sourced ingredients.

The British Airways i360 shop sells useful and beautiful gifts and homeware, many produced by local artists; while flexible beach-front events spaces are perfect for meetings, conferences or parties and can accommodate groups of up to 1, 100 people. An exhibition of photography and film.

British Airways i360 looks to the future while respecting the past. The attraction is sited at the root end of Brighton’s now-derelict West Pier and two of the original 1866 toolboths have been reconstructed to house the British Airways i360 ticket office and the West Pier Tea Room, which has beautiful views overlooking the beach.

Wole Shadare