The Brighton Wheel could be back on the seafront by next summer if the council’s cabinet approves a lease next month.
The Wheel went up 15 years ago, in 2011, and was taken down five years later, in 2016, as part of a deal between the Brighton i360 and Brighton and Hove City Council.
At the behest of the i360 developer, the council agreed that there should not be two competing viewing attractions so close to each other on the seafront.
The council said that it would not renew the lease for the site, Dalton’s Bastion, in June 2015.
In a statement, the council said: “The decision not to renew the lease for the council-owned site means the authority is sticking to its original intention when granting the Wheel a temporary stay five years ago – to prevent two competing viewing attractions existing side by side on the seafront.”
And an email from the council to the Wheel’s operator at the same time said: “The council does not intend to give permission for the Wheel and the i360 to be operational at the same time.”
Today (Tuesday 18 August), the council said: “The popular Brighton Wheel looks set to return to the city next year.
“The much‑loved attraction, which was dismantled in 2016, could be back in action by next summer.
“At a cabinet meeting on (Thursday) 17 September, councillors from Brighton and Hove City Council will decide whether to award the family-run business behind the Brighton Zip and Daltons Venue a 25-year lease to operate the wheel on its original site in Madeira Drive.
“The Brighton Wheel was originally installed in 2011 and quickly became a popular landmark on the eastern seafront.
“Its lease ended in 2016, to make way for the development of the i360 given the green light by a previous administration.
“The operators have continued to run the popular Zip Wire and café. If permission is granted, the Zip Wire will remain and the wheel will be constructed on its previous site.”
Labour councillor David McGregor, the council’s cabinet member for economy, culture, heritage and tourism, welcomed the proposals.
He said: “Brighton became Brighton because people came here to have fun by the sea. That’s part of our identity and we should be ambitious about what a great seaside city looks like for the next generation.
“Bringing the Wheel back isn’t about looking backwards. It’s about taking something people loved and making it part of the next phase of our seafront as we regenerate Madeira Drive and bring new energy to the east of the city.
“We want Brighton and Hove to be a place where everyone can have a brilliant day out and the Wheel would add another reason to come here, stay longer and enjoy everything this part of the city has to offer.”
The council said: “The team behind the Brighton Zip has more than 15 years of experience managing attractions on the seafront and has invested over £1.3 million on the site.”
This included constructing the Zip Wire and the base to strengthen the building to support the Wheel previously as well as contributing to other improvements in Madeira Drive.
The council added that the operator also ran the grassroots music venue, Daltons Bar and Cabaret, from the building below the current café and owned the lease for the site.
Jeffrey Sanders, the owner and operator of the business located at Daltons Bastion, said: “Brighton’s seafront has been a huge part of mine and my family’s life for more than 15 years and we’ve continued to invest in this part of the city throughout that time.
“We believe the Brighton Wheel can once again become a much-loved part of Brighton’s seafront, bringing families and visitors to Madeira Drive, supporting neighbouring businesses and complementing the fantastic attractions already here.”
General manager Delso Da Silva said: “We are over the moon at the prospect of bringing the Brighton Wheel back to the city and look forward to working with the council to make the wheel’s return a reality.”
The council said: “Under the proposed new lease, the operator would be fully responsible for all operational costs, staffing, maintenance, business performance and day-to-day trading activity.
“As a result, the council would receive a guaranteed commercial rent for the duration of the lease, providing a direct financial benefit from the attraction.
“This income would help support the ongoing efforts to maintain and enhance all that is great about Brighton and Hove including investment in seafront maintenance.”
If the council’s cabinet approves the lease proposal, the operator would seek planning permission and aim to have the wheel up and running by next summer.
The council added: “The proposal supports the ambitions set out in the council’s Seafront Development Prospectus which identifies opportunities to strengthen different character areas along the coastline and encourage new investment in visitor attractions.
“The return of the wheel would form part of a family-focused leisure offer in this part of the seafront, sitting alongside existing attractions and helping to create a destination where families can spend more time together.”
I would suggest that the council uses the money on essential services rather than closing them and funding a project that is not essential to residents. This is a vanity project for someone.
It isn’t council money, it is a private venture.
That’s what they said about the I 360
I was sad when the wheel went as it always reminded me of the wheel on the Thames, though smaller.
I’d be very happy to see it back (and go on it), but where has it been? Was it relocated somewhere else?
It feels like it’d be really cluttered on that site if the wheel goes back.
Removing a succesful venture that attracted footfall in order to (fail to) make an alternatve (i360) attraction succesful, suggests the council had doubts about the success of the i360 which weren’t mentioned in the business case or loans approval.
If they have guts to investigate the £50m write off, i hope the inquiry considers this.
Great welcome back big wheel!