Thanks to Sarah, Dave and Vince

[Neil]

Yes, a great job all round, but no real surprises then!

I guess next weekend Bob will be walking around Margate with all sorts of disguises (whigs, fake eye brows etc) trying to get himself voted twice.

ps to be pedantic it is actually more than 99% in favour of saving Dreamland. If it was 99% it would be 99/1. I suppose the point in people want Dreamland saved and that's what the Conservatives need to listen to.

[N Evans]

Well done to the team who braved the cold in Margate High Street the other day and gathered opinions etc from the local townsfolk. Hope you weren't knocked down by too much tumbleweed blowing along the street.

It still beggars belief that Cons councillors don't see the need to follow the planning inspectors recommendations - but then I'm not one of the proverbial stonecutters, let alone member of a branch led by a carpet salesman. Where does your mother work and all that?

[Sarah]

Tumbleweed indeed. I hadn't been to Margate High Street on a Saturday for a good while (the Grotto being open weekends, I tend to get my chores done on other days). I was amazed at how few people were about, even given the temperature.

For those of you not local, we lost M&S and Samuels not that long ago; they stand empty, as do a good few smaller shops. River Island is off, as is Pizza Hut. The retailers who are left are trying hard to generate some kind of buzz with a range of discount vouchers and events, but they've really got their work cut out. There was a story in last week's Gazette about SEEDA (the South East of England Development Agency) being interested in buying the M&S building and working with TDC to turn it into a Learning Centre. What we need in there is a shop. Preferably M&S.

After having a good old rant about the state of Dreamland, the council and Jimmy Godden lots of people then launched into the subject of the High Street, closed shops and Westwood X. I guess the people who love Westwood were up there, because all the people who spoke to me about it were very cross that Margate High Street is being killed off by this (frankly, third rate) shopping centre.

Sarah

[DaveD]

I cannot believe how TDC has such a disjointed, warped standpoint on the focal points of the town.

One minute, it allows a William Hill Bookmakers, A Pizza Takeaway and a sobering, out of place Wetherspoons to be built right slap bang on the seafront. The next, it thankfully has some sense and prevents the demolition of several key and historic buildings on the Dreamland Site.

There doesn't seem to be any direction of thought towards the town centre itself. There are other towns such as Morecambe, Allhallows, Grain, Sheerness etc that sadly have very, very little potential to relive their past glories. Margate has an excellent Spine of Reputation, History and continued, if depleted tourism which many other better maintained towns would give their Big Toes for. To let (no pun intended) such notable shops and restaurants to disappear without any apparent struggle shows the level of disillusionment that appears to be festering within TDC.

When I attended the recent Council Meeting, there was a real mixture of professional but purely functional people, some that were passionate about the area that made some good points and others that were largely resigned to the towns fate, without any real gumption, insight or research into not only the Dreamland site but the town as a whole. With this mish-mash of divided opinion and varied perspectives, the town could go over the precipice that it is barely hanging onto as we speak. At least the people involved in this campaign value & appreciate the public's opinion - let's see some Councillors take to the Streets on a Saturday to find out exactly what people want from the area instead of relying on Yes Men & Microsoft Bar Graphs.


Dave D

[cliffc]

Tumbleweed indeed. I hadn't been to Margate High Street on a Saturday for a good while (the Grotto being open weekends, I tend to get my chores done on other days). I was amazed at how few people were about, even given the temperature.

For those of you not local, we lost M&S and Samuels not that long ago; they stand empty, as do a good few smaller shops. River Island is off, as is Pizza Hut. The retailers who are left are trying hard to generate some kind of buzz with a range of discount vouchers and events, but they've really got their work cut out. There was a story in last week's Gazette about SEEDA (the South East of England Development Agency) being interested in buying the M&S building and working with TDC to turn it into a Learning Centre. What we need in there is a shop. Preferably M&S.

After having a good old rant about the state of Dreamland, the council and Jimmy Godden lots of people then launched into the subject of the High Street, closed shops and Westwood X. I guess the people who love Westwood were up there, because all the people who spoke to me about it were very cross that Margate High Street is being killed off by this (frankly, third rate) shopping centre.

Sarah

Hi All

Its very sad for the town as a whole that 2 Major high street names have pulled out of Margate, but its sadder that the council cannot see that if thay are pulling out of town and people are not coming into town, what good would more retail do on the Dreamland site, if people are not coming for the stores that are allready there what hell makes the council or indeed Waterbridge think that thay will come for more retail developement, by now the penny must be dropping that to get people in to the town more attractions are needed not more bloody shops. The simple fact is people wont come to shops but will come to Dreamland

Cliff C

[Neil]

I fully agree with all that's been said, and we don't even know that Waterbridge are planning to build a shopping centre on the site as this is only one alternative. If all these other retailers have recently pulled out of the town, then surely it isn't promising for filling an entire shopping centre. With Westgate so close by it must be quite competative round Margate. They have also proposed housing as another altenative on the site, but in many respects this is even worse.

Waterbridge (or atleast Bob who apparently stands for them) are supposed to be worried that the site could lay empty for years doing nothing. If they are worried about this then there's something we agree on. Unfortunately they are hardly speeding up the prossess with all this uncertainty about what they plan to do with the site. The sooner they give us some firm plans about what they want, the sooner we can get things moving again.

[Jim Douglas Jr.]

New here and catching up, but what many of you don't know, with the exception of Nick, is that I spent many hours scouring the TDC plan and exposed several unaddressed issues to them.
I live in San Francisco, California, USA.

Key issues that seem largely unaddressed:

The future. What real fiture is there in simply building more housing and shopping on the site? How does that help the current situation described as a spreading blight? More housing and low paying retail jobs doesn't sound like a sollution. Where will these people get the money to shop in these places, by working in them? That sounds like a viscious circle to me.

The space: Isn't there somewhere else housing and shopping can be built? Nobody's going to come from London to buy shoes and magazines in Margate. Why should a very small area like Dreamland be sacrificed. It's all very short sighted. Of course the owners, thinking they were going to make a quick pound, are going to try to sell for top dollar, but how does that help Thanet or margate in the long run? It doesn't. All it does is put more mouths to feed in an already strained area.

Someone closer to the area needs to start finding out what the council members stand to gain from their plan. Could be coincidence, but the council stamped NO on the petitions to raze some of the protected buildings just a couple days after I asked them the same question. They also need to be made aware that they should be looking forward to being voted out or prematurely removed if they fail to follow the wishes of the people. They are supposed to be representing you.
They are not.

Half way around the world, I'm in the middle of my work day.
I hope something wonderfull comes of all this eventually.

[Jim Douglas Jr.]

One more comment:

If the right mix of UNIQUE cafe's were intermixed within Dreamland as well as a live music venue, Dreamland could EASILY be a popular evening or afternoon destination for locals.
I don't think rides and ball throwing games are enough.

The absolute KEY to keeping Dreamland viable is to draw in not only tourists, but much repeat local business. Make it a place couples could spend an evening. Some sit down cafe's with outdoor seating, maybe a little retail bakery or sweets. Not just souvineirs, but something real. It would need to be open on a couple sides to encourage simply walking in and out.

There's no reason Dreamland couldn't be the ultimate boutique and eatery all set in an amusement park setting. A true open air mall. A place to amuse yorrself for a few hours.
Dreamland, due to it's small size, has to change with the times. The cookie-cutter image of what an amusement park is needs to be chucked. It limits what petential visitors thing of it.

[Hairy Vince]

Sadly, I won't be in Margate tomorrow afternoon(Week 1, Save Dreamland, Week 2 Stop the War!!) but I know others will be. Good luck with getting more objections to this draconian policy of the TDC.

Hairy & Finally Defrosted Vince

[Nick]

Campaign members have been back on the streets again today. There is a report on the News page, with photos to follow tomorrow:

http://www.joylandbooks.com/scenicrailway/news.htm

[Jim Douglas Jr.]

A big THANK YOU for those who went out.
I'm behind you and there in spirit.

[James]

You seem to be missing the point. We know that most people want Dreamland saved. You would be daft not to. The problem is that it isn't viable so being realistic we have to look at alternatives like a giant housing estate. Ofcourse you don't like this, but there is no alternative.

Someone called Jimmy Godden has run the park for the last few years. If he says it isn't viable it isn't viable. He is in a better position to know than you lot.

[Jim Douglas Jr.]

Wow, are you ever a fatalist.
Friends with Bob?

Maybe in it's current state it's not, but the goal is to get the site restored to more of a parklike setting. (See main page I Dream of Dreamland link) Paving Dreamland may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but it's unattractive and offers nothing extra.

That's what needs to change. We're all quite aware that Dreamland isn't in the best state right now. It could be so much more.

[David Ellis]

The problem is that it isn't viable so being realistic we have to look at alternatives like a giant housing estate. Ofcourse you don't like this, but there is no alternative.
Someone called Jimmy Godden has run the park for the last few years. If he says it isn't viable it isn't viable. He is in a better position to know than you lot.

Someone called Jimmy Godden has run down the park for the last few years. It is precisely because of this poor management (something the Government Inspector agreed with), plus the lack of advertising, having no website, etc, why Jimmy thinks or claims that the park is not viable.

It doesn't take a genuis to work out why the park has not been successful, does it?

There IS an alternative...have the park run by someone who actually wants to make it a success, not someone who wants to sell the land at a profit. If you think a giant housing estate is the best option for Margate's future then you really don't grasp the idea of Tourism.

David.

[RowBot]

OOO i chuckle. Jame's don't surpose you're after a new job in a supermarket by any chance. If not then maybe with all that exercise you're after an "leisure" site somewhere around Margate. Must admit though thanks for filling in the profile it makes my life alot easier than some people that don't.

Occupation: Supermarket checkout
Interests: Cycling, running, tennis (sport)

Ian