According to the developers of the proposed i360, it will be able to handle 600 people per hour (The Argus, March 1). They also stated the number of people visiting the Royal Pavilion had risen, by 22% since 2008, and now stands at more than 340,000 a year.

However, if you divide that total by the average number of hours the Pavilion is open throughout the year, you arrive at a figure of 120 visitors an hour, just one fifth of the number that David Marks and Julia Barfield claim will use their tower.

Even if the Pavilion stayed open 24 hours a day its visitor numbers would still only be about half of what Marks and Barfield are claiming for their project.

Will the tower really prove twice as popular as the Royal Pavilion, especially as the latter is right in the centre of Brighton and the former will be quite a walk along the seafront, and not a pleasant one when the weather is somewhat inclement?

The Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, on the other hand, is right in the centre of a shopping complex and easily accessible no matter what the weather has to throw at it.

A cash cow for Brighton Council or a costly white elephant for its residents?

Eric Waters, Ingleside Crescent, Lancing