Dreamlan
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MARGATE
Save Dreamland Update February 2011
I'm sure very few people will have failed to notice that the Public Inquiry into Thanet
District Council's proposed Compulsory Purchase of the Dreamland site from current
owners, Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company, is now underway. If
successful, Thanet District Council will lease the amusement park site to the
Dreamland Trust to allow us to build our amusement park of historic rides.
Proceedings began on Tuesday 10 th January 2012 and were scheduled to finish on
th
25 January. The Inquiry has had a large amount of evidence to hear and, as a result,
is taking longer than anticipated. The Inquiry will resume at 2pm on Wednesday 15 th
February, when Jonathan Bryant, our former Project Director, will give evidence. He
will be followed by TDC's Heritage Development Advisor, Nick Dermott and
consultant Simon Davis from Urban Delivery on Thursday 16 February. Ian Peck, of
property consultant Bidwells will then give evidence on Friday 17th February. The
Inquiry will resume again on Tuesday 6 th March when TDC's Planning Projects
Manager, Ashley Hills will give evidence. On Wednesday 7 th March, I will finally
give evidence as the final witness.
The Planning Inspector's recommendations will be issued to the Secretary of
State for Communities and Local Government, who will issue a decision later in the
year. In the meantime the Dreamland Trust continues working toward a 2013 opening
of Stage One.
The Dreamland Archive
Toward the end of last year our Board Member and Director of the archive, Mandy
Wilkins, made an extraordinary discovery. Mandy writes:
"I recently received a phone call from a builder working at a friend's house in
Sandwich who wanted to know if I would be interested in looking at a fibreglass
mould that he had found in his garden in Kingsdown. I became very interested when
he told me that he thought it was from Dreamland. When I went over the next day I
was amazed to discover it was the original mould of the 'clown' faces used c.1960s at
Dreamland and was delighted when he agreed to give it to the Dreamland Trust.
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