Closed tourist attraction bought by ex-Dragon’s Den star… and could even reopen as a rooftop bar

A TOURIST attraction close connected the formation that was forced to adjacent past twelvemonth has been bought by a trendy barroom chain.

Brighton's i360 archetypal opened backmost successful 2016, though ran into a fig of fiscal problems on the way.

It was forced to closed successful November 2024, leaving a indebtedness of £51million.

However, despite fears of the operation being torn down, it has since been bought retired by Nightcap, which has much than 40 venues astir the UK.

This includes trendy bars specified arsenic Tonight Josephine, Blame Gloria and The Cocktail Club.

Nightcap is owned by Former Dragon's Den star Sarah Willingham who is simply a Brighton local.

She said successful a societal media station that they "couldn't beryllium happier" with plans to reopen it.

She added: "We look guardant to moving with them to marque the West Pier portion of Brighton a thriving hub for residents and visitors alike.

“We walk the i360 each time and were arsenic disappointed arsenic everyone other erstwhile it went into medication and nary purchaser was found.

"We anticipation we volition get the enactment of our choky knit section assemblage arsenic we embark connected this caller section for the i360."

While it hasn't been confirmed what it volition reopen as, galore of the venues arsenic portion of Nightcap are immoderate of the astir unsocial successful the UK.

For example, Tonight Josephine calls itself a "sassy cocktail bar" with neon lights and mirrors.

And Blame Gloria is said to beryllium inspired by "an opulent nana with a groupie past".

Even with the much modular bars of the radical specified arsenic Piano Works, it is apt to mean that the tower volition beryllium turned into immoderate signifier of amusement venue.

It isn't wide connected erstwhile it volition beryllium capable to reopen.

The tower, initially called the British Airways i360, outgo £46million to build.

The 531ft reflection operation - created by the squad down London Eye - became the Brighton i360 erstwhile the BA woody ended.

However, contempt hopes for arsenic galore arsenic 739,000 tourists a year, it failed to deed these numbers.

Brighton and Hove City Council person since wrote disconnected the immense £51million indebtedness past period to let income to spell forward.

The buyout has besides been backed by section MPs, including Peter Kyle, MP for Hove and Portslade.

He said: "Looking to the future I present spot a fantastic seafront successful our city.

"It is book-ended by the astonishing Sea Lanes successful Kemptown and the caller Hove Beach Park and present astatine its centre volition beryllium this."

A tiny radical of locals adjacent created a petition to crook it into a Wetherspoons, though this lone got astir 650 signatures.

In the mean time, present is the nearby formation to Brighton that is acceptable to treble successful size.