10 hours Ago
Brighton and Hove residents are ‘surprised’ and ‘sad’ following the closure of the i360. It was announced yesterday morning that the attraction on Brighton seafront had gone into administration and would close immediately , with 109 people losing their jobs before Christmas. Brighton resident, 66 year-old Deborah Yuill, said that she was surprised it wasn’t a success: “Although I didn’t go on it, I think people would love to go up there and look at the sea.
I’m a bit baffled that people didn’t seem to take to it.” When asked what she would like to see in the area should the i360 be knocked down, Deborah responded, 'something green, trees, grass, birds, anything like that would be lovely'. Members of St Albans Camera Club were visiting Brighton and had hoped to take some pictures featuring the attraction.
One said: “I’ve always had mixed feelings about it, I did the Brighton Marathon just after it opened, and I wondered what on earth it was. “It’s a shame because it could be great for the whole area, because people would come there, and they’ll spend money.” It was revealed at the end of November that owners would be filing for insolvency, with concerns that if a buyer wasn’t found the company would fall into administration.
Brighton residents, Aga Jaworska, 27, and Lydia Mcdougall, 31, shared similar mixed feelings towards the attraction describing it as a ‘futuristic spaceship’. They said they 'don’t think it fits in with Brighton’s style, it’s very industrial'. They suggested that the space be used as something related to the West Pier, which is opposite the i360 site.
They said: “We think [the i360] is a good thing for tourists coming to Brighton to be honest, maybe not so much for locals. "It’s nice to go once, just to look around but we think many people coming from outside of Brighton, they enjoy it a lot. "It’s very sad, there were so many people working in this area.
” The attraction, which was opened in 2016, was funded by borrowed council money which was due to be repaid. However £51 million is still outstanding. Janet and Richard Rodger from Hove explained that they saw the i360 being built and think the closure is a shame.
They said: “They were told it would never make any money and most locals knew it. There’s nothing to see. “It’s very difficult to have an attraction that’s going to make money, with the amount that cost to build as well.
The only thing it benefitted really was the shops and local cafes because it brought people here.” The couple said they were shocked at how quickly things had happened and shared sympathy for employees. Another resident, Chris Roberts, added: “I don’t think it should have ever been built in the first place; it should’ve been something else.
"We needed a landmark but that was the wrong one. And obviously now we are now in millions of pounds of debt.”.
