Mechanical Memories Magazine

In the first few weeks of the Campaign, Sarah Vickery (owner of the Grade I listed
Shell Grotto, who has played a huge role in the Campaign through the years) and I met
with Thanet District Council officers, councillors and the local MP, Roger Gale.
On 2gth February 2003 , Sarah Vickery and I met with Council Leader, Cllr
Richard Nicholson. At this meeting Mr Nicholson told us that he believed the site
must remain a tourist destination, but at the same meeting gave us a new draft of the
Council's Local Plan policy on Dreamland which allowed for its complete closure and
redevelopment. We were stunned by what we saw, especially as the Council's recent
consultation on the plan had shown that the vast majority of residents wanted
Dreamland to be protected in the Plan as an amusement park. He explained that the
reason the Council had amended it was because the owner had written to them.
On 4 th April 2003 , a large fire destroyed Mr G's Amusement Arcade on Margate
Seafront, as well as damaging the neighbouring Funland Arcade. These arcades back
onto the Dreamland site. Mr G' s was owned by Jimmy Godden, the owner of
Dreamland. The fire created a gap in the frontage of the Dreamland site that
approximately corresponded to the planned access road into the Dreamland site on a
plan that the owners had provided to the Council at a meeting in December 2002. This
would be the first of three large fires at Dreamland.
Save Dreamland Convention, June 2003.
Page 6