Low spring tides have enabled work to begin on removing the burnt-out shell of Brighton’s Victorian West Pier. It is to be replaced by a 150m (490ft) observation tower, the i360, providing views of up to 25 miles across the area on a clear day.

The old pier and its concert hall, destroyed by fire in 2003, will be broken up and sold for scrap. It opened in 1866 but had its heyday in the 1920s after the concert hall was added. It survived mine explosions in the Second World War but closed in 1975 as people took to foreign holidays.

A regeneration project funded by the National Lottery was halted in 2003 by arson attacks. Mary Mears, Brighton council leader, said the demolition was sad but some historic fabric would be preserved.

The pier will be replaced by the i360, an observation tower designed by the team behind the London Eye. The tower’s pod will rise up to 150m above sea level, providing sightseers with views of up to 25 miles across Brighton and Hove on a clear day. It is expected to be ready in time for the London Olympics in 2012.

The West Pier Trust, who own the site, said that all historically important items would be salvaged.

The pier, which opened to the public in 1866, enjoyed its heyday in the 1920s after the concert hall was added. It tenaciously survived the explosion of mines during the Second World War but closed in 1975 as holiday makers deferred to more fashionable foreign climes. A regeneration project funded by the National Lottery was halted in 2003 by arson attacks which destroyed the structure and rendered the landmark a health and safety hazard.

Mary Mears, council leader at Brighton and Hove City Council, said that the work was part of a new beginning for the city.

“For many, the removal of part of the West Pier will be a sad moment,” she said. “It’s part of our history and we’ve lived with it for a long time. However, time moves on and we welcome the start of work to remove the remains of the old structure. The council supports the project and we’re pleased that historic parts will be saved.”

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