Exclusive: Dreamland back in 2012

WORK could begin on Dreamland’s revival by the end of the year if a multimillion-pound bid for funding is successful.

Dreamland Trust treasurer Sarah Vickery is seeking the windfall from regeneration body Sea Change and the Heritage Lottery fund, with a decision expected by September.

Architects are busy working on the plans which will be revealed before the funding bid is submitted in April.

The Shell Grotto owner says it will cost £23 million to turn the former thrillseekers’ paradise into a fully fledged amusement park and its cinema into a music venue.

Ms Vickery said the trust is bidding for less than £10 million; if Dreamland’s owners can stump up the rest, the park could open by Easter 2012.

DREAMLAND, including the Grade II listed cinema building, could receive a makeover by the end of the year, transforming it into the world’s first heritage amusement park.

Groups involved in the project include the owner Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company working with the Margate Renewal Partnership, the Dreamland Trust and a host of architectural and amusement park experts.

Now after years of work Margate could be a few short months off from regaining a site that has thrilled and entertained generations of families for decades.

Dreamland Trust treasurer Sarah Vickery believes it will cost £8.7 million to transform Dreamland into a heritage amusement park and £14.3m to turn the cinema into a live music venue by 2012.

The park could include bumper cars track, a water shoot, sandstorm wheel, ghost train, caterpillar, haunted swing and the return of the river caves. The cinema could become a music venue with the facilities to cut a track, and museum documenting the history of Margate’s teenagers,from punks to rockers.

Sea Change, a cultural grant scheme, has already given money to the Margate Renewal Partnership to carry out preparatory work for the heritage amusement park and in June will tell the group if it has secured more funding for work to begin.

The Heritage Lottery Fund bid will be submitted by April and a decision will be given in September.

Ms Vickery said: "We need the site owners to take forward their plans for the other half of the land. We anticipate those plans will be a mix of retail, leisure and residential. This development will then secure further funding as part of a legal agreement tied into the planning permission."

Dreamland boss Ross Stewart said: "The aim is to be successful in our application for the grants and then to use the monies for an entertainment complex in the cinema building and the heritage amusement park. We have to spend the grant money by 2011 so to say Dreamland will be open by 2012 is quite probable.We wouldn’t be going for it if the project wasn’t deliverable."

The last recorded figures for Dreamland in 2002 showed the park attracted 680,000 visitors.

The news comes after the Thanet Times story last week when council leader Sandy Ezekiel told the paper that it "wouldn’t pay" to have Dreamland as it was.

In the "vision" Margate was described as having a "new economic heart founded on the success of the internationally-renowned Turner Contemporary gallery".

It dwelled on more restaurants, shops and galleries, skimmed over Margate’s Main Sands and did not mention Dreamland at all.

His comments outraged many of those involved in the campaign to revive Dreamland. Ms Vickery said the council leader owed islanders an apology.

She said: "We felt we had to release this information now in response to Sandy Ezekiel’s comments, which were unhelpful to say the least."

Plans for the heritage amusement park include over 30 rides, some of which keep the spirit of white knuckle rides alive.

The Trust is also hopeful they can purchase a large Ferris wheel as well as securing cable cars linking the sands with the park.

Ms Vickery's thoughts were mirrored by Mr Stewart who added: "We are surprised by the vision and lack of reference to the future of the Dreamland site and we are unsure what it means for the current planning brief produced by Thanet council."

A Thanet council spokesman said a press release coming out this week would provide an update on Dreamland.

The Thanet Times contacted Cllr Ezekiel but he said he was unavailable.

Timeline

April 1 – Heritage Lottery Fund submission must be in

April 30 – Sea Change bid submission must be in

June – Sea Change announce whether funding is agreed

September – Heritage Lottery Fund announce whether funding is agreed

Late 2009 – Work could begin on the park and renovation of the cinema

Easter 2012 – The cinema and amusement park open their doors to the public