Controversy stalking the Spinnaker Tower yet again....
Interestingly the tower has courted controversy from its very inception. It was completed six years after its planned opening date of 1999 and came in over budget leaving taxpayers to eventually contribute £11.1 million towards construction.On the opening day the tower’s project manager and representatives of the builder were stranded I its malfunctioning external lift and had to be rescued by abseiling engineers. A year later though the Spinnaker Tower won the RICS Project of the Year Award and the RICS Regeneration award.
Since I
took my images of the tower, the latest controversy kicked off. Portsmouth City
Council signed a sponsorship deal with the Emirates airline worth £3.5m. The first images of the
rebranding of the tower ( to be coloured red and white running up the length
and breadth of the tower ) infuriated many local people. Red and white being
the colours of football rivals Southampton. A petition against the rebranding colour
attracted thousands of signatures resulting in the City Council deciding to go
back to the drawing board. New designs will apparently be open to public consultation.
Personally, I think it a great shame to move away from the existing colour but
given the need for the money I hope they will come up with a design that is
more white than anything else. The jury is out……
