Joyland Books

Ah - so my initial vague reaction to this could be true then. Let's hope so.

However, like the the recent touted "safety assessment" on the Scenic Railway, I still find actions like this hard to stomach DURING the so-called summer season for Margate. Surely successful park operators would "forward plan" events like these and assign the work/ maintenance during the off-season to encourage maximum guest numbers (or am I just being too logical here?)

I think we could have a case for CSI Margate here!

Let's hope nothing underhand is happening here. Like Jim mentioned though, I think it would be a good idea to log/ record dates when weird events like this happen during the season.

Martin

PS Who's placing bets on Dreamland being open for the upcoming Bank Holiday? - wonder if it's worth a flutter down at the bookies? - I'd probably get some blank looks though. Any sign of any ride installs?

CSI Margate? Oh my! Let's hope nobody has to die

Going back to the Rideas thing I should have said that the address is
www.rideas.co.uk
If you click 'deselect' and then check the box 'other UK park' and move the dop down menu to 'past 7 days' you can get onto it.
Some very odd ideas have suddenly started circulating the community. Again this is not a criticism of the posters by any means as if people are unaware of all the facts then you can't blame them for not supporting the campaign (and even if they are aware of the facts they're entitled to form their own opinions), but it does illustrate the importance of educating people as to the true facts.

I can see some urban myths being quite damaging and it seems surprising considering that over the past 3 years coaster enthusiastes seem to have given us unanimous support.

Call me cynical but I wonder how long it is going to take for the so called cleaning and maintainance of the sign? A week. a month, a year or two!
Nigel

There are a couple of pictures of the lights during their removal on the "Arts & Elbows" blog, linked to below :

http://artsandelbows.blogspot.com/2006/04/lights-out-over-margate.html

I'd say they look to have been pretty well handled during their removal, a good indicator that they will be returning. A comment on that blog also implies they may well now be with a sign company.

Cheers

Isle of Thanet Gazette, Friday, April 28, 2006

THE iconic Dreamland sign in Margate has been taken down for repair, but the owners say it will be back.

The huge, lit-up sign by the entrance of the fun park has stood 13 years without repair, said a spokesman for Waterbridge.

The bulb holders are rotten and need extensive work to repair them, he added. As the Ise of Thanet Gazette went to press bosses had not said when the sign would return.

Great sign pictures on that website Paul. I couldn't help noticing that the horizontal Dreamland sign was also no longer present. I thought that was there last year; maybe someone can comment on that also.

I wondered if the vertical sign letters were made locally too - I seem to remember passing Price Signs (I believe that was their name) many times on my way into Margate from Romney Marsh years ago. If they still exist I thought that may be where they'll be going for repair/ maintenance/ upgrading etc.

Let's hope the signage will be back soon.

Martin

Sarah wrote:That wasn't the officers in Planning, that was down to councillors. And I don't have the same faith in (most of) our elected representatives as I do in professionals being paid to do a job.

Mind you, a few officers at TDC also flummox me.

sarah

I would put it like this: Officers at Thanet have been very good at ensuring that policies are complied with. It is just the making of those policiues that they are not particularly good at.

So top marks to the development control and enforcement teams, but I find it difficult to praise the planning policy officers. Their attempt at fudging the Dreamland policy is very poor planning, although I accept that the officers may have been influenced by councillors...

Just a correction; I've suddenly remembered the sign maker I mis-mentioned in my previous posting. It was Pearce (or "Pierce") Signs, I believe. (Must have been the early hour I last posted that contributed to my blurry memory).

Martin

PS Hope to see as many people as possible at tonight's big event in Chatham.

lol well they wont be fixing it since there slow next 2 westwood cross got blown up a couple of months bk 2 make way to a new part of westwood.
Cant totally remember when the company went bankrupt though
Ian

Oh dear..... another sign of the times I guess then. (Sorry for the pun). Is nothing sacred today?

Thanks for the info though Ian!

Martin

noooooooooooooooooo! Can't beleive they have said the old sign isn't coming back and "at some point" there will be a new 1. Does TDC need to check that it is past repair?

Good point.
See if there's any sign of it in any fenced off areas nearby or any local sign shops.

porterm wrote:Surely successful park operators would "forward plan" events like these

Hi All

Well you have hit the nail on the head here Porterm successful operators would definaltey have forward planned maitainace on rides, but we are talking Waterbridge / Godden here and i think if you were to use the term successful park operartors for that outfit you would be running the risk of action under the trades discription act. Thay could not run a pi*** up in a brewery.

Cliff C

This looks like all part of their plan to make Dreamland not viable a sucessful sabbatage attempt to enable TDC to argue Dreamlands failure as a commercial venture so to change land use. The difficulty is proving it. Yesterday we visited Adventure Island Southend, their park was open, most rides operational and a buzz in the atmosphere, the resort was busy and bustling with people enjoying themselves including us.

I feel we should investigate other sites and ventures owned and operated by Waterbridge and co to decipher if there are any dubious activities.



Alan