Verdict Due On I360 Cricket Game Shipping Containers Proposal

The owner of the Brighton i360 should learn next week whether it can place three converted shipping containers on the lower prom to house the cricket game Sixes.

The “immersive” game is part of a plan to draw more people to the seafront attraction, with a chance to “eat, drink and bat” in each of the three containers.

The i360 has applied to Brighton and Hove City Council for temporary planning permission for the wooden-clad containers – from next month until September 2025.

A separate planning application is expected to propose turning over the current restaurant space to two more virtual cricket nets.

The plans submitted to the council said that the shipping containers would have a metallic finish, including glass doors, fixed windows and openable sides.

The council has received six comments in support of the scheme and 12 objections. The council’s Conservation Advisory Group (CAG) has also objected to the plans.

It said that the scheme would have a “detrimental effect” on the surrounding conservation area and the grade I listed pier head base and kiosk.

An objector, whose details were redacted on the council’s website, said:

“Shipping containers on the beach (usually associated with toilets in this location) are an absolute disgrace to consider in this area.

“No amount of cladding (which has not been specified on the application) will soften the blow of these giant eyesores.

i360 Container Plans. Image By Marks Barfield Architects

“Aside from how ugly they will look, and how the i360 seems to think the beach is theirs, they will create a ‘hidden space’ behind them, up to the subway.

“That will only encourage the kind of anti-social drinking and behaviour that the seafront has tried very hard to clamp down on in the last couple of years.”

A supporter, whose details were also redacted, said:

“We believe the planned development at the i360 by Sixes Cricket will bring more people into the area which is currently underused and help create a more vibrant space.

“It is important to bring more people to the King’s Road Arches and we believe this will help to achieve that.”

The i360 hopes that the Sixes venture could help generate much-needed revenue, with the attraction now more than £48 million in debt to the council.

The attraction’s operator originally borrowed £36 million from the government’s Public Works Loan Board, with the loan brokered by the council, but it has missed several repayments.

In February, councillors were told that a new strategy was aimed at boosting visitor numbers. Ideas including walks on top of the i360 pod and “immersive experiences” that mixed theatre with food and drink – as well as street food stands and a “games bar”.

The i360’s owner said:

“Brighton is set to become the fifth city in the UK to welcome the hugely popular Sixes brand and the brand’s very first beachfront location.

“This marks Sixes’ eighth venue to date and follows Manchester, Birmingham, Leicester and four sites in London.

“Re-imagining cricket for the modern age, guests can look forward to precision sports technology alongside burgers, sharing plates and wood-fired pizzas, as well as a full menu of classic cocktails, beer, wine and shakes.

“Quality food and drink is at the heart of what Sixes offers, making it a must-visit destination with or without the cricket.”

The council’s Planning Committee is due to meet at Hove Town Hall at 11am on Wednesday 7 June when the application is expected to be decided.

The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.