This city is big enough for two pier's, Blackpool is a prime of example how each pier caters for a different audience.  There is no reason why this can't be the case in Brighton.  Looking out from the window of my city centre apartment, I have witnessed the on going saga with sadness.  Most certainly it would have been preferable for the pier to have been restored at an early stage before being battered by the elements.  Reality is now though, it would be a very brave engineer indeed to contradict the English Heritage experts. 

Together with David Courtney's Bullet and the redevelopment of the Brighton Centre, there is a tremendous opportunity for Brighton seafront to become a 21st Century seaside spectacular.  So lets look at the other options that could replace this cultural icon.  A three-pronged fork offering a "sun island", an "amusement island" and a "tower island" has been suggested but plans never really got off the ground.  The Pleasure Island idea, whilst a fun prospect, I fear would not fit in well with the seafront Regency square's.  This did rely on the island being accessed by a restored West Pier and required an Act of Parliament and would be an incredibly costly and time consuming project.  

All other options should also be consider quickly, including Peter Watts solar palace, a giant off-shore arena catering for 100,000 spectators and 3,500 cars.  His pier would feature 100,000 cubic metres of concrete and 1,600 cubic metres of steel, to produce a pier about 300m long and about 180m wide at its spooned-out end.  Above the waves would be a sweeping promenade, opening into a circular arena for up to 100,000 spectators to enjoy concerts and major public events.   Out of sight below would be a three-storey car park sunk into the sea bed, connected to the shore and via a tunnel to Grand Avenue or even as far as the A23. At a stroke you would solve some of the city's congestion and pollution problems and provide an entertainment leisure facility that can be enjoyed for generations to come. Although how cost effective or practical this would be remains to be proved.

West Pier Trust Chief Executive Dr Geoff Lockwood and his colleagues now face the question "Do we give into the demolition of the West Pier or do we fight on for so long as retention of the site keeps open the possibility for future generations to achieve that restoration?"  I was very impressed with what the West Pier Trust has to say at a recent meeting I had with them and I hope that there is some way through this.  Maybe, there is European funding available that would allow a new structure to be built? There are very few avenues left open to breathe life again into the shell of what was a fantastic tourist attraction.  But lets not give up yet.