The Clock Tower in Brighton town centre looks sad and shabby. But money is the only thing holding up its return to former glory.

They loved it when it was built to celebrate Queen Victoria's golden jubilee. They loathed it when it became a traffic hazard.

It was made the centrepiece of a new traffic management scheme in the Eighties, but is still largely ignored by the thousands who go past it every day.

Now there are plans to restore the Clock Tower in the centre of Brighton to its original glory - and only money is holding the project back.

Some critics claim that Brighton and Hove Council should be moving faster to restore the clock tower, pointing out that the popular Floral Clock in Hove is also badly in need of repair.

Wealthy advertising contractor John Willing paid £2,000 for the tower to celebrate 50 years on the throne for Queen Victoria.

Unfortunately it was late in construction and the tower did not open until 1888, a year after the Jubilee, on January 20, which was Willing's own 70th birthday.

The 75-feet tall tower had clocks on four faces and a 16-foot high mast. Rising up the mast every day on the hour was a gilt copper ball designed by Magnus Volk, the electrical pioneer.

He had the ball controlled on a land line from Greenwich Observatory 50 miles away and it was a remarkable feat of technology.

But the noise of the wind whistling through a a slot in the mast drove people to distraction in the area and the ball stopped moving after only a few years.

By the time the town celebrated its own golden jubilee, it was lonely and unloved. It stood in the way of increasing traffic and its design was totally out of keeping with the sleek, modern lines of new Art Deco buildings.

There were constant calls for its demolition from local luminaries ranging from Lord Cohen of Brighton to Dennis Hobden, who later became the first Labour MP for Kemp Town.

But the cost of demolishing it was always too great and there was a certain sentimental attachment to the structure which kept it safe from the bulldozer.

In the Eighties, it was decided to make the Clock Tower the centrepiece of a new traffic management scheme designed to reduce through traffic and make crossing the junction less dangerous for pedestrians.

Until then it had been more or less marooned on an ugly traffic island. Now more space was created around the tower so that it could become a meeting place.

At the same time, the cavernous and ugly public lavatories beneath the Tower, which did nothing for its setting, were removed.

There was still a feeling in the town that more should be done and the chance came two years ago when the nearby Boots store decided to have a refit.

Labour councillor Nimrod Ping suggested that the company make a contribution towards restoring the tower and making sure that the gold ball could once more rise to the top of the mast, this time without making a noise.

Earlier this year it was agreed that £6,000 should be earmarked for this purpose, although other money from Boots was put towards a public work of art in nearby West Street.

Now a working party has been set up to decide exactly what should be done and how the rest of the money, perhaps as much as £40,000, can be raised.

Town centre manager Tony Mernagh said: "Like everything else the council is involved in, nothing is straightforward."

He said that a grant might be available for some of the work and it might be possible to raise some of the cash from local businesses once a target had been set.

He has also put forward the idea of seeking further revenue through firms advertising on scaffolding while work takes place.

He added: " It should be more than something people walk by and don't really notice. People would stop and stare at it if the golden ball was going up and down."

Mr Mernagh also hopes money can be found to floodlight the tower, although he says this must be done sensitively.

He added: "Once it has been renovated, the Clock Tower will be a real asset for the town."

Selma Montford, secretary of the Brighton Society, said she was very enthusiastic about the restoration.

She added that some of the work earmarked for artistic works in the area should be diverted to the Clock Tower.

Mrs Montford said the golden ball restoration would be an exciting part of any restoration scheme.

Coun Chris Morley, who chairs Brighton and Hove planning committee, said: "Where money isn't available from the council, the obvious thing to do is to turn to the community.

"The Clock Tower is such a landmark in the town that it would be unforgivable not to keep it up to scratch."

He said many people would come to watch the restored golden ball riding up and down the mast.

Mr Mernagh said: "The council doesn't seem to know how much money it needs at the moment. It must set a target. It should put in some money itself."

He added that ways must be found to help make the building generate its own income.

David Van Day, the pop singer who opened up a burger bar in Air Street earlier this year, said: "It would help improve the look of Brighton.

"The Clock Tower is a landmark for people in Brighton. It is used by foreign students as a meeting place and is known all over the world.

"I'm pleased Boots has given £6,000 towards it, but I think the council has a duty to keep it in good nick. After all, it gets enough in rates out of all of us."