Portsmouth's Spinnaker Tower is changing colour

The Spinnaker Tower is set to be returned to its original white as the naming rights agreement with Emirates has now come to an end.

The Emirates branding will remain in place on the Spinnaker Tower until early summer 2021, as the 170m structure has to be painted using a specialist abseiling crew and the work needs to be completed in fine weather.

The five-year partnership between the city council and Emirates helped raise the profile of Portsmouth with international audiences, and generated £4.2million that has been invested in services for local people and communities. The naming rights agreement ended as scheduled on 30 June 2020.

Recognising the very significant challenges created by the on-going coronavirus pandemic for the global economy, the council does not anticipate securing a new naming rights sponsor for the Spinnaker Tower for the foreseeable future and so will be returning the structure to its original white as soon as the weather allows.

Portsmouth City Council Leader, Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson said: "The naming rights sponsorship of the Spinnaker Tower has brought huge benefits to Portsmouth and its residents, and we would like to thank Emirates for the contribution they have made to our great city.

"Moving forwards, I am delighted to be able to announce we will be returning the iconic Spinnaker Tower to its original white, which we know our residents will prefer. The work to transform the structure back to its gleaming former glory will take place as soon as the weather is fine enough for the specialist abseiling crew to start painting."

The Emirates branding will remain in place until early summer 2021.

The tower needs to be repainted in 2021 as part of its routine maintenance schedule, so returning the structure to its original white will not result in any unplanned costs to the council.