Shame Thanet Council Don't share views with Blackpool!

[Mancfire]

Hi all,

It's a shame Thanet council don't have the same vision and foresight as Blackpool council....

The following is quoted from the Blackpool Masterplan website

http://www.bcp-ltd.co.uk/masterplan.html

"The huge complex, which attracts seven million visitors each year, will form the centrepiece of the so-called ''Pleasure Beach'' district – a bustling and exciting destination.
Continuing investment and improvements have seen the existing Pleasure Beach become an increasingly sophisticated visitor attraction. Visitors can already enjoy more than 145 rides, including the £15m Valhalla water ride and the Pepsi Max Big One – Europe's tallest and fastest rollercoaster.
The draft masterplan shows how the surrounding area could be boosted with the addition of stunning new attractions. These could include a world-class aquarium, shown in the plan as being contained in a stunning glass building, offering entertainment and education to young and old alike.
Pleasure Beach owners, the Thompson family, are also considering building an 800-room resort casino hotel on the complex, boasting dramatic architecture and offering top-quality entertainment.
Spectacular attractions like an aquarium and a casino hotel would become dramatic new visual icons within the Pleasure Beach district, complementing more familiar landmarks like the Pepsi Max Big One.
The draft Masterplan for this quarter of the town also shows a new, open air event park, providing a haven of tranquillity amid the surrounding hustle and bustle and the ideal venue for open-air displays, concerts and entertainment.
New street lighting and other environmental features will also be introduced to give this part of the town its own distinct feel.
Reg Haslam, Blackpool Council's head of planning and transportation, said: "In our vision of a new Blackpool the Pleasure Beach is an expanding attraction and key arrival point, so it is crucial that it creates a stunning impression."

Such a shame Thanet Council can't see Dreamland as such a potential opportunity!

[Alan]

I fill Thanet Council will turn a blind eye on Dreamland and when its too late wonder why people are not coming to Margate.

Alan

[porterm]

Hi all,

I can't agree more with mancfire's comments re Blackpool's Masterplan. The council there obviously realise the full importance of a world class attraction like the Pleasure Beach and its continual development.

I visited the park, and Southport's Pleasureland recently and was amazed at how both places, especially Southport, have been transformed since my last Southport visit nearly 11 years earlier. Southport has really been spruced up with a new pier structure, a promenade carousel, among many other new dramatic features. Blackpool's seafront opposite the Pleasure Beach is also undergoing a massive makeover with new sophisticated street light fittings and modern infrastructure.

I know Margate is not as big as Blackpool and Southport but investment is surely the key to future success, building on the resort's past glories. I think Thanet District Council should pay a visit to these resorts, then maybe they will have a wake-up call, before it's too late for change. By change I do not mean bulldozing Dreamland, but building on its past (Scenic Railway) and allowing heavy investment by a new committed operator. The Thanet "leisure coast" surely deserves this to advance; no Dreamland, no leisure in my opinion. Unless you count the sea and water sports, but then one could go to any seafront for those.

Martin