The council is working in partnership with the Dreamland Trust to create a world first for the site, an amusement park of thrilling historic rides. The project has already received funding from the council, Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The council has worked with landowners, the Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company (MTCRC) to try and achieve the transfer of the amusement park site, but with no success to date. The funding that has been secured is also dependent on the council getting a long lease on the site, which has not been possible so far.

As a result, the council agreed to start compulsory purchase proceedings on the site, if terms could not be agreed for the transfer of the freehold of the cinema building and land. Agreement has not been reached with the landowners, who wanted guarantees about the scale of development which would be allowed on the rest of the site. The council was unable to give these guarantees.

The statement of reasons, part of the Compulsory Purchase Order documents, talks about the situation with the landowners, stating that:

The Compulsory Purchase Order covers the whole Dreamland site, to the foot of the embankment of the railway line at the southern boundary, Arlington Square to the west and the rear of properties along Belgrave and Eaton Roads to the east. The site also includes the grade 2* listed Dreamland cinema building along Marine Terrace.

Leader of the Council, Cllr. Bob Bayford, said: “The council would obviously prefer to have reached agreement with the landowners over the Dreamland site, but sadly that’s not been possible. The simple truth is that we may lose the grant funding for this project, if we can’t secure the ownership of the land. Significant funds are being invested in this project and we are not prepared to jeopardise that investment in the town. We also know how important the regeneration of Dreamland is to both local people and Margate’s economic future. That’s another reason for taking this action. It’s a key site for the town and, along with Turner Contemporary, we believe what’s being planned for Dreamland will help to turn Margate’s fortunes around.”

Chair of the Dreamland Trust, Nick Laister, said: “We had hoped that the compulsory purchase of Dreamland would not be necessary, but any further delay could have jeopardised the project. Dreamland is an essential component of Margate’s regeneration, being in such a prominent location on the seafront, as well as providing training and employment opportunities for Thanet. We are therefore pleased that we can now move forward with our preparations for starting work on this world first visitor attraction.”

The new Dreamland will be the world’s first amusement park of thrilling historic rides with classic sideshows, vintage cafes, special events and gardens.

All the landowners affected by the Compulsory Purchase Order are now being contacted. They have the right to make an objection in writing. If this happens, then a Public Inquiry could be held. If the Compulsory Purchase Order is confirmed, then the council would be given the freehold of the site, meaning that the plans for Dreamland can proceed.

All of the documentation associated with the CPO can be downloaded from a special page on the Thanet District Council website. This confirms that the remaining areas of the park, outside the heritage amusement park, will be reserved for public events, car parking for Dreamland and for possible park expansion. The full area covered by the CPO can be viewed here.

BBC News is reporting that the owners of Dreamland, MTCRC, will object to the Order, which will mean a public inquiry will need to be held. The news has also been covered by Meridian News, Kent on Sunday and This is Kent.

Thanet District Council and the Dreamland Trust are working in partnership to create a unique visitor attraction for Margate, which will secure the town’s regeneration and boost the local economy. The new Dreamland will be the world’s first amusement park of thrilling historic rides with classic sideshows, vintage cafes, restaurants, special events and gardens.

Millions of pounds have already been invested by the council, Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Heritage Lottery Fund to bring this project to fruition.

Since then, the council has held detailed negotiations with the landowners, but it has not been possible to agree an acceptable position to the council. As a result, the council’s Cabinet agreed on Thursday 28 April to launch compulsory purchase proceedings.

Chief Executive Richard Samuel said: “We are determined to continue the regeneration of Margate, which has already seen an enormous boost with the opening of Turner Contemporary, with the project to open a world first at Dreamland. Because of the importance of this site to the town’s future, we need to take action to ensure that the heritage amusement park goes ahead. Huge amounts of money have already been invested to bring this project to fruition and we can wait no longer for agreement from the landowners. This is not something we wanted to do, but the failure of the owners to reach a sensible agreement has left us with no choice but to take compulsory purchase action. We have been in negotiations for many months now and we feel that we have been generous to a fault. This project needs to go ahead. We are fully committed to supporting the Dreamland Trust in making this happen and that’s why we’re taking this action.”

Chair of the Dreamland Trust, Nick Laister, said: “The Dreamland Trust is delighted that Thanet District Council has shown its strong commitment to the Dreamland Margate project and is proceeding with the compulsory purchase of the Dreamland amusement park site. With all the technical work now complete and a substantial part of the funding in place, the acquisition of the site by the Council will allow the Trust to commence work on the implementation of what is a key project for the regeneration of Margate. We look forward to working with Thanet District Council and our other partners to deliver the world's first amusement park of thrilling historic rides on the Dreamland site."

Dreamland will provide training and employment for the local community and help re-establish Margate as a top visitor destination.

This news is reported at BBC News, KentOnline, Heart and This is Kent, and was featured this evening on Meridian Tonight and BBC South East TV news. Click here for the press release on the Thanet District Council website.

With the press preview for the Turner Contemporary last week, media interest in Margate and Dreamland is high. The Telegraph interviews Dreamland Trust director and Shell Grotto owner Sarah Vickery, who tells Joanne O'Connor that she believes Dreamland will be more important to Margate's regeneration than the Turner Contemporary. Dreamland is also mentioned in an article in the Guardian.

Dreamland was recently mentioned in an article in the Guardian.

More photographs of progress at Dreamland have been added to the Construction Gallery.

The Dreamland Trust's project director, Jonathan Bryant, has stated that despite the delays in the land transfer the Trust will continue to work to ensure there are attractions on-site for 2011 and 2012: "The official opening may be put back slightly, but we are committed to offering attractions this year and next. We have always said this is a phased project." More details of the attractions to be made available at Dreamland will be released as plans progress.
 

Dreamland Trust chairman Nick Laister says: "I have known John Lawson for several years and am delighted that he is bringing his circus to Dreamland. It is a fantastic show, and truly deserves the many awards it has won. I hope people will support this event."

Performance times at Dreamland in the heated big top are on weekdays at 4:30pm and 7:30pm, Saturday 5th March at 2pm and 5pm and Sunday 6th March at 2pm only. All seats are £8 with a special offer of all seats being £6 at both shows on Wed 2nd. Ticket office on site daily from Mon 28th Feb or Tel: 07860 49 88 33. Disabled access and parking available.

The author of It Must Be True...It Was In The News!, Reflections: v. 1 and Reflections: v. 2 has written a poem about his childhood visits to Dreamland and his hopes for the future of the park called Remembering the Golden Mile.

For other poems and stories, visit our Features page.

Departing Thanet Council chief executive Richard Samuel says he is excited about Dreamland in the Isle of Thanet Gazette. And The Guardian mentions Dreamland in a look at "mouldy old" Margate.
 

We have also added a new photo gallery showing Dreamland park maps and leaflets through the years.

We have added some more photos of progress at Dreamland in our Construction Photo Gallery.