Rob Heale’s comparisons between the i360 and Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower and Sheffield’s Student Games are misplaced (Letters, March 4).

Sheffield’s Students Games covered a much broader range of facilities and infrastructure for a sporting event – it’s not comparable.

As for the Spinnaker Tower, that was a complex combination of concrete and steel with an external lift to an untested design. The construction contract was what is called “cost plus”, meaning every design fault and delay was a cost borne by the council.

The i360 project has a simpler design as well as a fixed-price construction contract with Hollandia (which produced the London Eye and is Europe’s biggest steel manufacturers). Poma, Europe’s largest manufacturers of ski-lifts and which made the pods for the London Eye, will produce the i360’s pod and lift mechanism on a contract guaranteeing 98% ride availability.

None of the firms involved with the Spinnaker Tower had the good experience of those involved in the i360 project, nor were there such rigorous contractual arrangements in place. Yet, despite all of the issues the Spinnaker faced, it has returned a total of more than £3 million in profit to Portsmouth City Council so far.

Councils across the country like Bristol and Croydon are regenerating their areas using Government loans of similar or larger amounts than our i360 proposal.

We must grasp this opportunity to add a new attraction to the city’s tourism offer, create jobs and generate a return to the council of more than £1 million a year.

Councillor Jason Kitcat, Green, leader of Brighton and Hove City Council

Patricia Downer is incorrect in assuming it is the council who will be paying for the i360 tower (Letters, February 28).

The council’s role is simply to facilitate a Government loan that will enable it to be built. Loans from the Public Works Loan Board can only be applied for by local authorities and, by facilitating this loan, the council will benefit from £1 million in interest every year for the next 25 years.

Far from costing anything for the local taxpayer, quite the reverse is true – we can spend this money on local services and the project stands to benefit local residents in a number of ways.

The i360 has the backing of local traders, particularly those in Preston Street and, when completed, will be a real boost to the area.

In addition, we are mindful and concerned with the state of the seafront arches, which are a wonderful legacy from the Victorian era, but are now starting to crumble and need work urgently.

The bill for this alone is estimated at £70 million and the council needs to raise money from outside sources in order to save them.

The Conservative group of councillors is right in supporting the i360 project as it can see as well as we can that, without action, this vital part of the city’s seafront is in danger of becoming ever-more dilapidated unless we step in.

Sadly we do not have the level of funds available to fix it ourselves and, when it comes to spending the money we do have, Ms Downer is absolutely right that we should focus on local services.

Facilitating a Government loan, rather than calling on the local taxpayer, will enable us to do just that.

Councillor Lizzie Deane, Green, deputy leader, Brighton and Hove City Council