West Pier's concert hall removed within two weeks

The West Pier’s collapsed concert hall is to be removed in the next fortnight to make way for the i360 observation tower.

The remains of the West Pier. Picture taken by Howzey in October 2008 and posted on Flickr.

The West Pier Trust has announced that specialist demolition and salvage contractor Dorton Demolition will undertake the work managed by its consultant engineers, Hemsley Orrell Partnership.

It says: “The Trust is taking advantage of good spring tides to clear the area of a potentially hazardous structure before the start of warmer weather and the holiday season.

“Historically important items will be salvaged for safe keeping by the Trust and the iconic Pavilion island will not be touched.”

The work is a requirement of the planning permission for the 150m high i360, or Brighton Eye, which was granted by Brighton and Hove Council in 2006.

However, a series of delays means work has still not started. The latest potential setback is the proposed construction of the Brighton O, an 135m high temporary ferris wheel.

The i360 architects, Mark Barfield, have objected to it saying it would create difficulties in constructing the tower, concerns backed by the West Pier Trust, which controls the land.

Brighton and Hove City Council planning officers recommended refusing the plans. The decision, originally due on Wednesday, January 13, was deferred for further talks to take place.

It is now due to be discussed by the council’s planning committee this Wednesday, but the recommendation for refusal still stands.

The concert hall was ravaged along with the rest of the pier in a still-unsolved arson attack in March 2003.

All that was left standing after the blaze were the iron frames of the concert hall and the pavilion. The concert hall finally collapsed into the waves during a storm in July 2006.