'Financial disaster' Brighton i360 suddenly closes

The Brighton i360 has closed with immediate effect after the viewing tower was dogged with a series of financial problems in recent years.

The tourist attraction's 109 staff were made redundant in a meeting on Friday morning with Brighton i360 Ltd administrators.

Brighton & Hove City Council said it would conduct an investigation over the closure as it was owed £51m by the owners of the seafront attraction.

Councillor Jacob Taylor said: "Investment in Brighton i360 has clearly been a financial disaster for the council."

The council agreed to lend the site's developers £36.2m to build the 531ft (162m) tower, which opened in August 2016.

The council received notice Brighton i360 Ltd would appoint administrators on 27 November. It now says Interpath Advisors have been appointed.

Mr Taylor said the council would explore "further options for investment" following the sudden closure of the attraction, designed by renowned architects David Marks and Julia Barfield.

Administrators Interpath Advisors said they were working to find a business to take over the site in the New Year.

Managing director Steve Absolom added: "Our thoughts are with the loyal and dedicated staff at i360 who will be devastated by this news, particularly given the time of year.

"Our immediate priority will be to work with all of them to provide them with the support they need to make claims to the Redundancy Payments Service."

One part-time staff member Cerys Wilson told the BBC that staff members had been made redundant at a meeting with administrators on Friday morning.

She said staff were told they would not be paid for "four to six weeks".

Her colleague Jess Davis said: "It's really heart-breaking for everyone in there.

"It's at an awful time with Christmas coming up."

Meanwhile, local residents said the attraction's £18.50 adult ticket price let the i360 down.

"We never went up on it. It never occurred to me why we would," one said.

"The view around is not particularly attractive. And it was quite expensive, so I could not understand the attraction."

Richard Pither and his partner Katharine, of Rottingdean, had been due to celebrate their anniversary on the attraction.

"It is a little disappointing, but to be honest, we have been saying for years we must go on it and we haven't, so maybe its our own stupid fault," Mr Pither said.

Mr Taylor added: "Although the attraction has provided jobs, and brought in business rates, regeneration of this site did not require such high public investment and the amount of money left unpaid to the council is money we now cannot spend on frontline service delivery.

"It's important there is an investigation into how the decision at the time of agreeing the loan came to be made and learn lessons for the future."

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