Mechanical Memories Magazine

Dreamland
MARGATE
Save Dreamland Update January 2013
DREAMLAND APPEAL - COURT DATE SET
On Thursday 20 th December 2012 Thanet District Council was successful in its
application to have the Dreamland Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) appeal
prioritised. A two day hearing will now take place on Wednesday 20 th and Thursday
21 st March 2013 . If the appeal by the landowners is unsuccessful, Thanet District
Council will immediately begin the process of acquiring ownership of the site.
The council received approval from the Secretary of State for the Compulsory
Purchase of the site in August 2012, following a public inquiry. The landowners then
challenged the decision by the Secretary of State. January 2013 marks 10 years since I
set up the Save Dreamland Campaign. Hard to believe.
10 YEARS OF THE SA VE DREAMLAND CAMPAIGN
I thought I would be a little self-indulgent in this month's MMM article by writing a
few words about how it all started.
My direct involvement in Dreamland actually dates back to May 2001 , when I
wrote to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and requested that the Scenic
Railway be spot listed. I had become aware of the historic importance of the ride due
to a growing personal and professional interest in the history of British amusement
parks through my work as planning consultant to various theme parks around the UK.
My report provided background context to the Scenic Railway, showing that it was a
remarkable and rare survivor of a ride that was once common in the UK. It noted that
the Scenic Railway could be under threat due to the fact that a third of Dreamland had
been cleared and I had heard rumours that the owner may be looking to close the park.
In my report, I stated that the ride should be protected, as there was a strong likelihood
it would otherwise be lost to redevelopment.
A year later, the ride was listed Grade II. There was some media interest at the
time and I did a number of newspaper and radio interviews. I thought that was the end
of it.
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