West Pier

The West Pier is a pier in Brighton, England. It was built in 1866 by Eugenius Birch and has been closed and deteriorating since 1975, awaiting renovation, although after two fires and several storms, little is left in situ. It was Brighton's second pier, joining The Royal Suspension Chain Pier of 1823, and it is one of only two Grade I listed piers in the UK, the other being Clevedon Pier.

There have been various plans to renovate the pier. Those of the West Pier Trust – the charity which owns the pier – were opposed by some local residents. Although supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, local media reported that a major concern was the impact of commercial operations on the shore which were apparently required to help fund the project. The Noble Organisation, owner of the Palace Pier, joined the objectors, despite having originally been supporters of the restoration scheme (the 1996 Year of the Pier was launched from the Palace Pier). Their reported point of view was that subsidised rebuilding, were it to happen, would represent unfair competition. The West Pier Trust said on 15 July 2008 that it was confident the West Pier would be rebuilt. Its long-term aim was to re-establish the structure as a major tourist attraction along with the i360, a futuristic observation tower. Further work on rebuilding the pier will not begin until construction is "well under way" on the i360.