The Nick Laister Interview

Nick Laister is planning adviser to many of the UK's theme parks, a leading authority on the British amusement park industry and editor of the website www.joylandbooks.com which specialises in books on amusement park history.
 
He is a Chartered Town Planner working as Senior Director at the RPS Group plc, the UK's largest planning consultancy. He specialises in planning for tourism and leisure. His clients include many well known UK theme parks. He also acts for several UK and international casino operators and FTSE 100 property developers. 
 
He has appeared as expert witness at several public inquiries and hearings dealing with all aspects of development. He has written articles for newspapers and journals and has been invited to speak at conferences on the subject of planning for tourism and leisure.
 
As parks strive to 'out-coast' each other with the tallest, loopiest, fastest and longest rides, what does the future hold for the UK's vintage coasters?
 
..Well, thanks to Nick Laister and Dave Page, the future of Dreamland's Scenic Railway at Margate should be assured. And perhaps this is just the beginning?
 
There is no doubting the fact that the listing of this classic coaster is the most important UK coaster news for many a year!

When did you first get the idea?

But what does this actually all mean for The Scenic Railway?

It means that it should be protected from redevelopment. In practice, if the owner wants to make any changes to the ride, he must apply for listed building consent.

Did you inform the owner of your intentions, and if not, how did you keep it all a secret?
 
I didn't involve the owners as I am always suspicious that if they get wind of an attempt to list a ride, then the ride might suddenly disappear one night. That has happened to numerous buildings and it sort of defeats the object. However, I have absolutely no reason to believe that the owner of Dreamland, Jimmy Godden, would have removed the ride had he heard about the listing attempt. In fact, quite the contrary, he has done a great deal of good for the ride, including a full restoration in 1995/1996.

What percentage of funds will be made available in the future by the government and by the owner for the ride's upkeep?

That is really a matter for Mr. Godden, the council and English Heritage. I hope that grant funding will now be available to assist with the ride's upkeep and there have certainly been indications from the above parties that this will be the case.

Can the owner still sell the land around The Scenic Railway?
 
Yes, the listing does not affect ownership. However, development that would harm the setting of a listed building would not be allowed. That should help to ensure that the area around the ride stays an amusement park use. Thanet District Council has confirmed to me that they are now taking steps to alter the development plan to require that most of the site remains in amusement park use, but may allow some of the site to be redeveloped.  

In your opinion, does this make it more of, or less of, an attractive proposition for a prospective buyer of the land?
 
All it does is make sure that any buyer retains the site and hopefully, most of the park. That has to be good for Margate as a seaside resort. A housing or supermarket development on the site would do nothing for Margate's future as a resort.  

Is the full report you submitted with Dave Page available on the net?
 
Yes, at www.joylandbooks.com. You can download the full report:
 
On Microsoft Windows format here.
PDF format here.
Text only format here.

What now?
 
I am now turning my attention to the wider issue of amusement park history with the full support of English Heritage. What the study will reveal I cannot say at the moment...