Raising the big wheel

Coussens Crane Hire Contract Lifting supplied a Terex AC 120-1 all terrain crane to help construct a 50 metre ferris wheel in the seaside city of Brighton, UK.

The 120 tonne capacity AT is being used to lift parts of The Brighton Wheel, a UK£ 6 million (US$ 9.5 million) modular structure under construction. Developed by Paramount Attractions, the wheel will offer "breathtaking, panoramic views of the sea, surrounding architecture and landmarks as they have never been seen before," according to a company statement.

The Brighton Wheel, which is being constructed on the Madeira Drive seafront promenade, will create 30 full-time jobs and attract an estimated 250,000 visitors a year to the city.

It will have 36 air-conditioned glass gondolas, including one luxury VIP gondola. Each will hold up to six adults and two children.

Paramount Attractions has asked for temporary planning permission for up to five years. When complete later this year, The Brighton Wheel will be open from 10 a.m. to midnight every day and will be illuminated at night.

Objections to the project have come from the city's Regency Society, a conservation charity, which said a tourist attraction on such scale was "inappropriate and overbearing".