News: April 2006

In  January 2003 the owner of Dreamland, Jimmy Godden, announced the closure of Dreamland. The park is to be redeveloped as "leisure boxes, some retail and a supermarket". Joyland Books will provide updates on the campaign to save Dreamland and its internationally-important Scenic Railway ride.

Click here for the latest news

Monday, 24 April 2006

An application for retrospective planning permission for industrial-style fencing that was erected without authorisation has been submitted to Thanet District Council by the Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company Limited, the owners of Dreamland. As can be seen from the photograph to the right (click on the photo for a larger version), the fencing seriously harms the setting of the listed Scenic Railway.

Comments on the application can be submitted online by clicking here. At the same link you can view the planning application form and other supporting information.

Friday, 21 April 2006

The following letter has been published in today's Isle of Thanet Gazette. The letter, from Susan Marsh, is the Save Dreamland Campaign's formal response to Waterbridge boss Toby Hunter's very public accusation that the group is running a campaign against him:

Letters extra
Preserving amusements is our aim

It was with some surprise that we discovered the Isle of Thanet Gazette had chosen to publish correspondence between Nick Laister and Toby Hunter (April 14th).

Perhaps we can address the facts;-

  1. Waterbridge has yet to publish plans for the Dreamland site so there has been no opportunity for the Campaign to either support or reject. Members of the Campaign have met with Waterbridge on every occasion they have been invited; and continue to be available for consultation with the Company.
     

  1. The Campaign has, however, engaged in considerable work in the Local Plan process to ensure that the Dreamland site remains an amusement park. This view was fully endorsed by the independent Inspector. The Inspector further criticised the way the Local Plan Policy had been changed, from one that preserved Dreamland to one allowing development, following an undocumented meeting with the then site owners, after the consultation period had finished. This, together with further matters emanating from Thanet Council, has been the focus of our work. It has covered the period of the current Council and its predecessors which clearly indicates there has been no political allegiance.
     

  1. The Campaign has very publicly supported the efforts for this year and offered assistance in making the arrival of the Big Wheel and the opening of Dreamland with rides a success. It has also been made clear we will support the retrospective planning application for the Big Wheel.
     

  1. The Campaign objected to the demolition of a number of listed buildings on site as we felt it premature. In order for such buildings to be demolished there has to be very clear plans as to the future development and the reasons they need to go. Waterbridge failed to provide any evidence other than to tidy things up. We would suggest it was the firms failure to provide evidence to the local authority that led to refusal, our role was purely to point out the shortcomings in the application and where it failed to meet the criteria in the legislation.  Similarly this Campaign has raised, with Thanet council, the issue of the unsightly fence being put up very close to the Scenic Railway. In our opinion this too breaches the legislation in respect of the appropriate setting for a listed structure. There seems to be a lack of understanding that the Scenic Railway at Dreamland has national and international importance and as such should be protected.
     

  1. This Campaign has acted as a catalyst for interested parties to meet Members and Officers of the Council and confirm that there is an interest to buy and operate Dreamland, which includes investment of considerable sums to develop it as an up to date, exciting facility. The major stumbling block is the ‘hope value’ placed on the site by the wording of the Local Plan, the subject of our campaign so far, also criticised by the independent Inspector in his report.
     

  1. All consultation exercises so far have shown the vast majority of the people of Thanet want Dreamland to remain an amusement park.
     

  1. To date the Save Dreamland Campaign has made no comment about Mr Hunter or his company. As Mr Hunter has yet to publish any details of his plans there is nothing to comment about but he can be assured that whatever happens personal abuse will not be the way we do business.

Readers will be free to draw their own conclusions as to why the development company, via their Chairman Mr Hunter, should decide to engage in such a personal battle.

The Save Dreamland Campaign has made clear its objectives are to work for the maintenance of the Dreamland site as an Amusement Park and to preserve the Scenic Railway, acknowledging its historic importance. Our Supporters join us on that basis and have done so in their thousands.

Susan Marsh 
Hon Secretary, The Save Dreamland Trust
 

News of the Big Wheel was included in Adscene on 20/04/06. Today's Thanet Extra also features news on the wheel.

Tuesday, 18 April 2006

Two small Dreamland-related items in today's Thanet Times.

Monday, 17 April 2006

An interview with Campaign Leader, Nick Laister, appears on the Coasterforce website, one of the world's biggest online communities of roller coaster enthusiasts. Click here to view the interview.

Saturday, 15 April 2006

The new Isle of Thanet Gazette has coverage of Dreamland and the Save Dreamland Campaign, focusing on the Big Wheel being erected without planning consent and Toby Hunter's tirade against campaign leader Nick Laister:

Big headache as wheel is put up without consent

Dreamland bosses will have to apply to Thanet council to keep the new big wheel in its present site.

The 148ft attraction was put up a fortnight ago, but bosses failed to get planning permission for it as it is not within amusement park land. Council officers are said to have inspected the attraction last Thursday.

A Thanet council spokesman said: "The big wheel does not currently have planning permission. The council is in contact with the site owners."

Workers fitted the ride for Waterbridge, which is the parent company of Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company. The wheel is on the former Mr G's arcade site, and arrived on Tuesday, March 28, from a Scottish theme park.

A Waterbridge spokesman said: "We will be applying for permission retrospectively. We have planning consultants for this matter."

A steel fence dividing the park in two, which was assembled by site owners, was also done so without planning permission. Margate Town Centre Regeneration bosses applied last Friday for retrospective planning permission for the fence.
 

This also appeared in today's Gazette:

Theme park boss says group's campaign is getting personal

Theme park chief Toby Hunter has blasted the Save Dreamland group for running a "campaign against him."

It is his second broadside launched at the group in the past few months. In an exclusive interview with the Isle of Thanet Gazette in February, Mr Hunter lashed out at the group claiming it "has not invested a single penny into Margate - but makes a lot of noise."

This time, Mr Hunter accuses the group of launching a personal campaign in an extraordinary exchange of e-mails with group leader Nick Laister. In an e-mail exchange, Mr Hunter slammed the Save Dreamland Campaign for not supporting the "undoubted efforts" his company is putting into Dreamland's summer season, adding: "The substantial comments from all in Margate that we have received following the erection of the new wheel has truly been heartfelt. I wish your campaign could join the celebration."

He goes on: "Margate is a tremendous town - with a huge heart and great potential. Your historical focus on previous owners now seems very outdated. Please look to the future and recognise that MTCRC Ltd is here to develop some world class facilities in leisure and supported by mixed use (not financially supported but for the good of an attractive urban regeneration). Your continued campaign against me is starting to look vindictive and small minded."

Mr Laister replied, denying any campaign against Mr Hunter, and said the group accepted limited residential development at Dreamland to ensure its "long term survival".  He said Save Dreamland welcomed the big wheel and would be writing in support of the retrospective planning permission.

Mr Laister added: "I don't understand your comment about a campaign against you."

He said later: "As far as you and MTCRC go, we await your proposals with interest and nothing would give us greater pleasure than supporting you. I wish you every success for 2006, and if there is anything that the campaign can do in terms of publicity, events or actual physical help with preparing the site, please do not hesitate to ask. There are some very enthusiastic people out there."
 

It was not the intention of the Campaign to publish either Mr Hunter's email or Nick Laister's response, as this was personal correspondence. However, as Mr Hunter has issued the exchange of emails to the Gazette, we now publish both in full. This shows that the Gazette somewhat misrepresented the Campaign's position on residential development.

Firstly, Toby Hunter's email to Nick Laister sent at 10.32pm on 31 March 2006:

Nick,

I read with interest your latest letter setting out your position with regard to the site - I am interested to note that you see residential as acceptable to encourage regeneration in Margate.

What I am most disappointed about is the lack of praise for the undoubted effort that my company is trying to put into the Margate 2006 season. The substantial comments from all in Margate, that we have received following the erection of the new wheel has been truly heart felt. I wish your campaign could join the celebration and congratulate MTCRC Ltd.

Please clarify for me your relationship with Phil Miller - does your planning consultancy act for him - have you a conflict of interest? If not why are you so afraid to embrace the activities of MTCRC Ltd?

Margate is a tremendous town - with a huge heart and great potential. Your historical focus on previous owners now seems very outdated. Please look to the future and recognise that MTCRC Ltd is here to develop some world class facilities in leisure and supported by mixed use (not financially supported but for the good of an attractive urban regeneration.

Your continued campaign against me - is starting to look vindictive and small minded.

Toby Hunter
 

Here is Nick Laister's response, issued the same day:

Toby

Thanks for your email.

Regarding my ‘support’ for residential development, I state clearly in the letter that those comments would not resolve our objection and were given without prejudice to assist the council. However, saying that, we have always accepted that limited redevelopment of the site may be necessary to ensure the long-term survival of Dreamland. Even the Inspector accepted that point. Residential development is not an ideal bedfellow with an amusement park.

Regarding the wheel, Sarah and I put a news item together about it earlier today, which will be going live for Saturday. It says the following:

"Margate seafront is looking more spectacular than it has for many years, as the construction of Dreamland's new Big Wheel nears completion. The wheel is located on the site of the former Mr G's amusement arcade, which was destroyed by fire in 2003, and now dominates Margate's seafront.

The Wheel is owned by Scottish fairground operators M&D's, owners of M&D's Theme Park at Motherwell. The wheel is manufactured by top Italian ride builder Fabbri.

Thanet District Council has told the Campaign that an enforcement officer would be visiting the site today as the ride requires planning permission which Waterbridge has not applied for.  

Save Dreamland Campaign Leader Nick Laister described the Big Wheel as "inspired", while Campaign Coordinator Sarah Vickery said, "It would be great if a Big Wheel could be a permanent fixture on that site, rather than a temporary one"."

I also put some positive comments on the forum a few hours ago, and Sarah Vickery also posted positive comments early this morning. There is no question that we welcome the wheel, it is exactly the sort of thing we would like to see on the site. If the Council does require a retrospective planning application, we will be writing in support.

Philip Miller is a friend, not a client. And we are certainly not afraid to embrace the activities of MTCRC. We like the wheel a lot, we didn’t like the fences at all. We thought the proposal to demolish curtilage listed buildings on the site was premature. Other than that, we have no information on your plans, so we have no comment to make. As I said at our meeting last year, though, once we see your plans for the site – and assuming we like them – we will be the first group of people celebrating them.

Finally, I don’t understand your comment about a campaign against you. I don’t recall campaigning against you or your company. I can’t deny that we were not exactly enamoured with your letter to the Gazette, but other than that, our campaign has been very firmly focussed against Thanet District Council, which has not provided particularly good service to the people of the town in either its Labour or Conservative guises. As far as you and MTCRC go, we await your proposals with interest and nothing would give us greater pleasure than supporting you.

I wish you every success for 2006, and if there is anything that the Campaign can do in terms of publicity, events or actual physical help with preparing the site, please do not hesitate to ask. There are some very enthusiastic people out there!

Regards

Nick Laister
 

 

Thursday, 13 April 2006

Tomorrow's Thanet Extra newspaper reported the proposed Dreamland disco.

Click here for more details on the disco.

Tuesday, 11 April 2006

The article below appeared in the Adscene newspaper. A similar article also appeared in the Isle of Thanet Gazette.

Fun park group hits the streets

More than 350 objections have been handed in to Thanet council by Save Dreamland campaigners as part of a protest against plans for homes being considered at the Margate fun park site. The pressure group put forward views collected from members and the public on Friday, March 31, the deadline for views on the local plan, the blueprint for development in Thanet for the next ten years.

Thanet council wants to allow consideration for homes and other uses for the theme park plot against the recommendation of the government inspector who chaired the public inquiry into the local plan last summer. The inspector agreed with campaigners the council should only allow a funfair on the site. Save Dreamland took to the streets to canvas people's views.

Campaigner Sarah Vickery said: "The council has not been taking the public seriously. We feared consultation fatigue had set in and we wanted to engage people." For details, go to www.savedreamland.co.uk.
 

Sunday, 9 April 2006

A letter appeared in Friday's Isle of Thanet Gazette making reference to the campaigners out on the streets of Ramsgate.

Friday, 7 April 2006

On Saturday 29th April, the Campaign trail hits Chatham with a fundraising disco at the RAFA Club, Dock Road, Chatham. Medway DJ Hairy Vince (right) will be playing hits from the last 50 years, alongside a top raffle and free buffet. There will be a £2.50 donation for entry, with all money raised going to the Save Dreamland Trust. The event starts at 7pm.

Local Gillingham-based campaign member and event organiser, Dave Dunmall said: “The retention of Dreamland is an issue that effects everyone living in Kent. A very large number of Medway residents have travelled to the area for many years and want to see what could arguably be the county's main tourist attraction sympathetically restored to its former glory for future generations to enjoy as they have. The campaign wishes to raise awareness locally that Dreamland is still open and that there is a professional campaign dedicated to its preservation."
 

Campaign Co-ordinator Sarah Vickery added: “We regularly stage Campaign events to give members a chance to meet up and to ensure that the future of Dreamland remains a high-profile issue in East Kent and beyond. We thought it was about time we travelled to the Medway; so many people there have fond memories of the park and want to get involved with preserving its future. Also, it’s a good excuse for a party!”

Thursday, 6 April 2006

Thanet District Council has informed the Save Dreamland Campaign that they received an e-mail today from the agents acting for the operators at Dreamland advising that a planning application for the unauthorised industrial fencing that has been erected adjacent to the Scenic Railway is on its way to the Council. Look out for the application being registered at www.ukplanning.com/thanet.

Wednesday, 5 April 2006

A couple of Dreamland-related items are in today's Thanet Extra newspaper, reporting on campaigners taking to the streets of Margate and Ramsgate and the return of a Big Wheel to Margate.

Tuesday, 4 April 2006

Today's Thanet Times featured a short article about the new Big Wheel.

Monday, 3 April 2006

Has the Conservative Group, which controls Thanet District Council, got a secret plan for Dreamland? One of our campaign members received the following worrying letter from North Thanet MP Roger Gale, issued before the end of the recent public consultation on Dreamland, which seems to suggest that the site will be split into two by a road, with a housing development in the rear part of the site:

Dear Mr Wilson,

Dreamland etc

Your constituency member of Parliament, my colleague Tony Baldy, has copied to me your letter to him dated the 18th March and the additional letter that you sent to the leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameron, on the 25th February.

First may I say that I greatly appreciate the concerns that have been expressed about the future of the Dreamland site and that I fully appreciate (as the member of Parliament for North Thanet for the past twenty three years) the deep affection that those who have enjoyed the Dreamland facilities have for an amusement park.

I also greatly appreciate the efforts of those who have fought long and hard to endeavour to preserve the Scenic Railway.

That said I am afraid that we are faced with a very difficult situation:

You will appreciate, I am sure, that the Dreamland site is in private ownership. While the local authority has powers to control, to some extent the development and use of the site it has no power to compel the present owner to operate the whole or even part of the site as an amusement park.

That is a private business that has to stand and fall upon its commercial success and unfortunately in recent years the income generated by the Park has fallen significantly as has the visitor interest.

Much has been made in the Press of the site "being used for housing" but that is actually to misrepresent the plans that the Council would like to see approved.

My Local Authority colleagues believe that there is a very strong possibility of dividing the site, allowing housing development on the land at the rear of the site, redirecting traffic through a new road through the centre of the site and then facilitating the development of the front (seafront) part of the site and a newly pedestrianised marine parade itself for the development of the front of the park and other tourist and recreational purposes.

In the belief that this project might release funds to generate not only what has become a rather tired attraction but the resort facilities of the whole of the town of Margate the Council has my support in its objectives.

I am very grateful to you for taking the trouble to write and for the interest of yourself and your relatives in the future of the town.

With my best wishes

Your Sincerely

Roger Gale

Campaign Coordinator, Sarah Vickery, made the following comments:

"The council is currently consulting on the Local Plan policy for Dreamland and has publicly stated that no decisions have yet been made. Roger Gale's comments therefore conflict with those of the council and raise the question: why should people get involved in the consultation if decisions have already been made?

"His comments about the future viability and importance of the site are incorrect. The site has been independently examined at a public inquiry and the government inspector stated that the Council's approach was wrong and that Dreamland should be protected as an amusement park.

"Gale's views also fly in the face of the results of the last three public consultation exercises held by the Council. He and his conservative council should really wait to see what the results of the public consultation are before announcing plans. Unless, of course, the reason they embark on public consultations is because they have to - not because they have any interest in the opinions of their electorate."

Sunday, 2 April 2006

The Save Dreamland Campaign was featured on BBC News, with an article on the BBC News website, the article featuring comments from Campaign Coordinator Sarah Vickery. Campaign Leader Nick Laister was interviewed on BBC Radio Kent about the public consultation and the Campaign's plans for the future.

Kent on Sunday features an article on Jimmy Godden's plans for the Rotunda Amusement Park in Folkestone.

Saturday, 1 April 2006

Margate seafront is looking more spectacular than it has for many years, as the construction of Dreamland's new Big Wheel nears completion. The wheel is located on the site of the former Mr G's amusement arcade, which was destroyed by fire in 2003, and now dominates Margate's seafront.

The Wheel is owned by Scottish fairground operators M&D's, owners of M&D's Theme Park at Motherwell. The wheel is manufactured by top Italian ride builder Fabbri.

Thanet District Council has told the Campaign that an enforcement officer would be visiting the site today as the ride requires planning permission which Waterbridge has not applied for.


Click on the above image for larger version.

Save Dreamland Campaign Leader Nick Laister described the Big Wheel as "inspired", while Campaign Coordinator Sarah Vickery said, "It would be great if a Big Wheel could be a permanent fixture on that site, rather than a temporary one".

Yesterday's Isle of Thanet Gazette featured an article on Margate's new Wheel.