Uncertainty over the fate of Brighton's West Pier has encouraged a fresh batch of ideas to transform the battered landmark.

A solar palace, a giant off-shore arena catering for 100,000 spectators and 3,500 cars and a three-pronged fork offering a "sun island", an "amusement island" and a "tower island" are the latest suggestions.

All three have been thrown into the ring, alongside the West Pier Trust's proposed restoration and land-side complex and English Heritage's push for a bare-bones walkway.

The Argus revealed last week how the Heritage Lottery Fund pulled out of its promised £14 million support for the restoration proposed by the trust and developer St Modwen.

English Heritage stepped forward two days later to suggest a recreation of Eugenius Birch's original 1866 promenade pier. This would not include the concert hall and theatre, which were added later.

A consortium spearheaded by boxer Chris Eubank and builder John Regan are also still pushing for their scheme. This would include a smaller shoreline development than St Modwen's.

Now Brighton cabbie Peter Watts has added his ambitious West Pier vision to the mix.

His pier would feature 100,000 cubic metres of concrete and 1,600 cubic metres of steel, to produce a pier about 300m long and about 180m wide at its spooned-out end.

Above the waves would be a sweeping promenade, opening into a circular arena for up to 100,000 spectators to enjoy concerts and major public events.

Out of sight below would be a three-storey car park sunk into the sea bed, connected to the shore and via a tunnel to Grand Avenue or even as far as the A23.

Mr Watts, 35, of Elm Grove, Brighton, said: "I've lived here all my life and I've been listening to all the problems associated with the pier. It seemed like a good thing to try to help out with.

"This would give us the facility to hold a few big concerts a year. Brighton is a music and party town and you could have major bands playing here.

"I'm all for the heritage thing but if we stick with heritage we're never going to go forward."

Mr Watts, who trained as a mechanical engineer, said the large concrete foundations - including the car park - needed to be prefabricated and floated to the site.

The giant deck would be built on top, supported by steel piers.

Retired lecturer Arthur North, an expert in architecture and an environmental design consultant, has revived his idea of turning the pier into a solar palace.

He was spurned when he suggested it last year, because the St Modwen scheme had already been given planning permission.

But he has resubmitted his proposals, similar to a solar dome house and a glass garden home he designed, which appeared at the Ideal Home exhibitions in London in the Seventies.

Mr North of Hartington Road, Brighton, said: "The idea would be to provide a pleasant simple structure which would cost far less than a conventional rebuild and generate money from selling electricity."

Peter Bareham, of Chancellors Park, Hassocks, believes Brighton should follow the Dutch example and follow the example of Scheveningen.

The structure which replaced its war-ravaged pier in the Sixties housed its enabling development on three prongs of the pier itself.

These were a sun island, featuring a solarium, an amusement island, including a fun palace and children's playground, and a tower island, including a 43m-high tower and refreshment terrace.

Mr Bareham believes such a development could also provide a link to an ambitious seaborne pleasure island proposed by Brighton architect Alan Phillips.

He said: "People are intrigued by Scheveningen Pier, especially those in Sussex as the background is a bit like Brighton.

"Now is the time for a modern pier. With the enabling development on the pier."