Council set to back zip wire to replace seafront Wheel

Councillors are set to approve a zip wire attraction to replace the Brighton Wheel on the seafront.

When the Wheel was a set up in 2011, operators Paramount Entertainment agreed to remove it in time for the opening of the 180-metre i360 viewing tower just along the beach. The Wheel’s planning consent expires at the end of May, with the i360 due to open this summer.

Paramount have now applied to replace the Wheel with two 300m-long zip wires, with thrill-seekers whizzing down a cable from a 20m tower to a landing area on the beach. A jump zone would also feature, where people could leap 20m to a safe landing area.

A new café is part of the plan.

Trading year-round, the Brighton Zip would be the largest such ride in Sussex and represent a £1.7m investment. Operators hope to open in time for this summer.

A report to the council’s economic development and culture committee on March 10 recommends granting landlords’ consent at the Dalton’s Bastion site, just east of Brighton Pier.

Like the Wheel, proposals would also need planning permission, plus consent to use what is currently designated as part of the highway.

Council leader and committee chair Warren Morgan said: “We always remained interested in the idea of another attraction to replace the Wheel. Now we have a proposal with much less visual impact for the neighbours.

“We’re clear that an attraction on that site is desirable because it brings life to the area - and one of our ambitions is to regenerate the seafront between the pier and the marina."

Planning application

Update 13 June 2016

The planning application for the Brighton Zip is available on our planning register, application reference BH2016/01719