In early January 2003, local press reported that the owner of Dreamland was
considering closing Dreamland and redeveloping it. As I don't live in Margate I was
not immediately aware of this, but received a number of emails from people who,
remembering my involvement in the listing of the Scenic Railway, asked if I could
help, as they were worried at the effects that the closure of Dreamland would have on
Margate.
I set up the Save Dreamland Campaign on 7 th January 2003 as a small website on
which to gather names and to allow me to make representations to the Council to
ensure that the park was appropriately protected in the Local Plan. My initial approach
was to lobby the Council to ask them to ensure that the site was properly protected as
an amusement park in the Local Plan.
A nu)llber of organisations joined the Campaign in the early weeks, including
SA VE Britain's Heritage, the Margate Historical Society, the Margate Civic Society,
the Margate Hotel & Guest House Association, Fairground Association of Great
Britain, American Coaster Enthusiasts, the European Coaster Club and the Roller
Coaster Club of Great Britain. The launch of the Campaign was covered in the local,
national and international press.
· land
On 17 th January 2003, it was reported that the owner of Dreamland had concluded a
deal to sell the site to East Yorkshire-based developers Stadium Developments
Limited. According to press reports, Stadium proposed to redevelop the entire site and
the development would include a supermarket, hotel, casino, swimming pool and
children's play area. The Scenic Railway was to be demolished as part of these plans.
It was stated that Stadium had been in talks with Thanet Council about the
redevelopment of the site since before Christmas.
In an interview with amusement park industry magazine Park World, the owner
of Dreamland, Jim Godden, stated that he was closing Dreamland to enable him to
"take life easier". The article cited the "commercial value of the land" as one of the
reasons that Godden planned to close both Dreamland in Margate and the Rotunda in
Folkestone at the end of the 2003 season. In the interview, Godden admitted that if he
were to sell either Dreamland or the Rotunda as a going concern, "the price I would
sell at would have no bearing as to their true commercial development land value." He
also revealed in the interview that his plans were a "purely commercial decision" and
added "it may well be the start of things to come when you are looking at a lot of
coastal amusement parks and their development values".
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