Dreamland not opening this year

[uvegotmale2000]

was reading latest news and saw dreamland wont be open this year

this bit worried me


from latest news
MTCRC chairman Toby Hunter said:" Both plans will be viable. We are not going to offer something that cannot be achieved. We have got all sorts of ideas but what we have been asking is what do people in Margate want? We have worked on projects in Reading, Inverness and Walsall which I hope will instil confidence in people. Far from running the park into the ground we have invested time and money into Dreamland, we have made it safe for people and made sure the cinema has stayed open."

Once plans have been finalised another round of consultation will follow and one of the two designs will be chosen in summer. Mr Hunter said he hoped planning permission could be granted by January 2008.


planning permission??? just shows they dont want dreamland as a amusement park
this is very worrying news what can be the next step for the campaign as seems things are stepping up for the finale fight.

i was chatting with a few friends about this latest devolpment and we all came to the same conclusion,if dreamland fails to open this year then we all think thats it for the theme park.hate to be negative but time is running out and this regeneration company have already made their minds up what dreamland will be (the public doesnt matter to them)
its time to step the campaign up a gear,time is running short now
also makes me laugh with toby hunter saying they have spent considerable money making dreamland safer lol

building a fence knocking it down and putting up another one lol
i had a feeling dreamland wouldnt be open this year after last years awkwardness with as many obstacles put in the way to try to make dreamland look shut when it wasnt


the one thing every person should realise is,if dreamland has breathed her final breath it will never be replaced and margate as a whole will suffer more than it is now
you only have to look at morecombe after the blackpool pleasure beach company closed that park,morecombe went downhill and downhill fast and shows no sign of recovery.southport will see its tourism hit very badly this year due to tthe fact the same company killed off pleasureland

if dreamland is no more then what hope for margate.the same fate as the pervious 2 ive mentioned.it will turn into a ghost town and no money being brought in by tourists.
families are being pushed to other places like southend or blackpool.dreamland has run sucessfully for many decades until mr godden took over and like most things these days these businessmen are only interested in 1 thing.MONEY

sorry to be grim and negative but im just being realistic.i want dreamland saved and brought back to its former glory.i just wish i had £50 million pounds to buy the park and bring back the good times

any suggestions on what we can do next???

[Vince, Charlie and Sam]

According to the Thanet Extra (Friday February 16th 2007)......

There will be no travelling rides at the Dreamland site in Margate this summer.

It is hoped to operate the heritage switchback rollercoaster the Scenic Railway as usual, but a senior figure at site owners Waterbridge has admitted the quality of the rides in the past was not good enough.............

(Waterbridge's Toby Hunter said) "We do want to run the Scenic Railway and are employing an events manager to put on a programme of attractions"

So it's "wait and see time". I would agree that the rides have been of poor quality over the last few years but the only way forward is to offer a long-term interest in the site, in order to attract investment. If it was up to me, I would make far more of the SR's historical significance than has happened in the past- the SR alone draws people from around the World and deserves its own on-site exhibition, museum or what-have-you...

Meanwhile, I like the sound of the the events manager's job. Where do I apply?

[porterm]

Unless I am otherwise mistaken, this sounds like a rather sinister "two horse" race on the part of Waterbridge to me. I wonder (unless I've missed it before too) when we will all be privy to their Plan A and Plan B options.

I thought the whole idea of last week's public meetings were to engauge the public and any other interested parties to seek a populist verdict for the Dreamland site's future. I guess we all have to wait with bated breath now. Like many others, their final decision, when announced, will hopefully respect our, and many others, wishes for Dreamland's continued prosperity.

Meantime maybe we do need to seriously consider some possible "secret weapon" fightback plans to enable the sensible resolution to this ongoing uncertainty.

As to there being no travelling rides at the site this season, I suppose that's another fairly easy "no brainer" decision going on recent season performances as Vince previously said. I'm sure most of us would also relish the need to promote the Scenic Railway's worldwide historic importance. I also hope Waterbridge are tending to that historic attraction's rather badly damaged station roof and front signage.

Two more months to wait then? (Well, we've been going amazingly for over four years now, so a couple more months won't hurt us I'm sure ).

Martin

[Vince, Charlie and Sam]

I thought the whole idea of last week's public meetings were to engauge the public and any other interested parties to seek a populist verdict for the Dreamland site's future.

Of course not....

SO WHAT is the Margate Town Regeneration Company?

An offshoot of Reading-based property investors and fund managers Waterbridge, it boasts Jimmy Godden as a co-director and was created when the businessman needed a development partner.

A clue to Waterbridge's speciality is in its full name as registered at Companies House: Waterbridge Hotels and Restaurants Ltd.

It has interests in towns across the UK, including the Forbury Hotel in Reading, and the redevelopment of Inverness's Bridge House, with a hotel and restaurant, and a hotel in Hemel Hempstead.

Source, Kent Messenger.

Let nobody be under any illusion- Waterbridge have one plan and one plan only, and that is to demolish the Scenic Railway.

[EAS]

As a listed structure, they will have to offer it first to any community group/charity willing to take it on, or put it up far sale on the open market. Demolition isn't so simple. (Fires of course are...)

Also - planning permission - we can all object to anything which may adversely affect its setting.

But the meetings - well, a farce of course, but as part of the planning procedure they need to 'consult' the public on their plans.

That doesn't mean what we usually think it means.

The Scenic Railway is going pronto on the national register of Buildings at Risk, compiled by SAVE Britain's Heritage.

It's not being cared for and clearly is at risk.

Waterbridge should be ashamed (if they can feel shame...). This is part of our national heritage and they are neglecting it.

If anyone has any recent pictures I'd be grateful.

[Strongbow55]

As stated before
The scenic needs MAJOR repairs and no one seemed to be pushing for these to be carried out during the winter
since the Webbs left has anyone carried out the daily, weekly,monthly checks?
If the scenic gets a safety certificate this year in its current state I would be very surprised.
The first drop is the main concern as the scenic had to close many times during 06 as the cars were coming off the track after the first drop
The Webbs managed to keep this ride open for most of the summer having to work through the night on many occasions to keep it operable
At this time last year the Webbs were busy replacing timbers on the scenic is anyone doing that now? ready for this season
Someone from waterbridge should be employed to maintain this listed structure otherwise it will be deemed unsafe and we all know what will happen then
Regarding travelling rides well they may not be in Dreamland for the summer but they will be along Margate seafront somewhere for the summer season
This may give waterbridge the excuse that there is no need for an amusement park when travelling fairs can provide entertainment on a more visible site on the sea front during the season
Well no rides at all on site is really down to on line chat board dreamers( not this forum)
complaining that there are no multi million pound attractions in Dreamland
I am not far wrong when I say that many large fair operators would not even think of attending Dreamland due to the poor spend per person and that whatever you try to do is never quite good enough
M and D proved that with the big wheel on a prime position and they are a HUGE company owning loudon castle theme park in Scotland which houses some ex Dreamland rides IE the Mary Rose now named the black pearl and The Apollo ride.They own some of the biggest rides in the Uk and travel some in Asia www.loudouncastle.co.uk
www.scotlandsthemepark.com
They Left in June last year and Did not come back for the main season.
Just say for instance Dreamland did become a theme park and visitors were expected.....the roads leading to it are substandard IE from Birchington to Margate it takes forever to travel that last 5 miles
the Trains are erratic and i know this as I used them everyday during the 06 season(often cancelled) and where the heck do you stay for a weekend apart from the travel lodge that is not home to D.S.S people

[EAS]

Putting the Scenic on the Buildings at Risk Register might highlight what is happening - although I need a recent picture - but sadly there is no way anyone can force Waterbridge to keep it operational. Clearly they have no sense of shame and as for Mr Godden... well, cash shouts louder than heritage.

Interesting though about transport issues - when they are suggesting it should become a commuter town with housing on the Dreamland site!

And as for pie in the sky people who think that unless millions are spent annually on ever larger and newer rides etc then a place isn't worth visiting - I agree, they are the death knell of family parks. It's not what everyone wants, but extreme rides seem to be the macho thing to demand.

[marc]

Loudcastle i thought was owned by hank Benbon

[Neil]

Yes, I think Im right in saying that Loudon Castle is owned by the Bemboms who used to own Dreamland, and that the Big Wheel comes from M and Ds theme park which also includes the Tsnami inverted coaster.

[Strongbow55]

Loudcastle i thought was owned by hank Benbon

Sorry I Meant to say Bembom nut got sidetracked

[Vince, Charlie and Sam]

As stated before
The scenic needs MAJOR repairs and no one seemed to be pushing for these to be carried out during the winter
since the Webbs left has anyone carried out the daily, weekly,monthly checks?
If the scenic gets a safety certificate this year in its current state I would be very surprised.

Probably best if an operator is awarded this year's concession sooner rather than later I would say. Nobody is going to be carrying out work unless they have some financial return to look forward to.

I'm sure the SR will need work in order to obtain the ADIPS certificate but there is plenty of time to carry out that work, so long as it is not left until the last minute.

Incidentally, why were the cars derailing last year, and whereabouts exactly?

[lutonlad]

Its sad to here that dreamland may not open this year, i agree the quality of travelling rides over the last couple of years was poor, and even though i visited, i visited for the campaign only and to save the scenic. But at least having some rides there even if they are only travelling ones, it kept the scenic going, i cant see that if the scenic does open this year that people are going to flock in to ride it when there is nothing to pull visitors to it, and with what it will cost to maintain and operate for the season, would not be economically viable, and i think that sadly the managment would just decide not to operate it.

It is also sad to see that even though the horible fence we all moaned about has come down, it leaves the scenic in a vulnerable state, especially in the pictures how they highlight how close you can get to the scenic. With the signage taken down is the roof being repaired we ask? or is this just the start of vandalism or something worse to come. And we all know what that may be.

Very scary but somewher down the line i can see a sad unhappy ending to it all.

Im keeping my chin up, but am not holding much hope, in the meantime though i continue to purchase my fivers worth of lottery tickets a week and live in hope that one day a miracle may happen and i will take it off there hands.

Lutonlad

[Strongbow55]

As stated before
The scenic needs MAJOR repairs and no one seemed to be pushing for these to be carried out during the winter
since the Webbs left has anyone carried out the daily, weekly,monthly checks?
If the scenic gets a safety certificate this year in its current state I would be very surprised.

Probably best if an operator is awarded this year's concession sooner rather than later I would say. Nobody is going to be carrying out work unless they have some financial return to look forward to.

I'm sure the SR will need work in order to obtain the ADIPS certificate but there is plenty of time to carry out that work, so long as it is not left until the last minute.

Incidentally, why were the cars derailing last year, and whereabouts exactly?

The track at the bottom of the first drop was where the problem was
the track seemingly lifted quite a bit there and needed lots of attention
the cars did not actually de rail but the damaged track did cause problems to the cars on occasions
Not a major safety issue but one of those things that need to fixed in a closed season otherwise the problem will only get worse

[bluea61]

Unless I am otherwise mistaken, this sounds like a rather sinister "two horse" race on the part of Waterbridge to me. I wonder (unless I've missed it before too) when we will all be privy to their Plan A and Plan B options.

I think your right, they will offer two plans and ask which people think is the best. I don't think there will be an option of neither.

[uvegotmale2000]

i have to agree with that

the 2 plans that waterbridge will unveil will be nothing about keeping dreamland as a theme park

even though the majority of people want dreamland KEPT as a fun park

this public consultancy is a farce and its about time the council and politicians woke up and realised it

then again do the councils in the uk EVER listen to the people who elected them!