Exhibition of Dreamland Proposals

[Jim Douglas Jr.]

He has lots of cultures growing on the mounds of dirty dishes and fast food packaging piled up in his kitchen.

[porterm]

Hi all,

Just wondered if anyone was attending the exhibit tomorrow? (Bank Holiday Monday) as I haven't yet managed to get there.

I feel that I should at least see it at first-hand. If anyone's up for a meet-up let me know either here or via a pm (personal message). I didn't seem to get any response last time I posted this, so I thought I'd try again.

Martin

PS I believe tomorrow is the final day for this until 7pm!

[AJ]

They don't just hand out money because someone thinks its a good idea.

Well they did to Godden 10 years ago and look what he did with the money. A grant to run Dreamland in to the ground what a joke!

[EAS]

Tell us more...

[Nick]

Tell us more...

Dreamland Leisure got an EU grant of several thousand pounds shortly after they acquired the park. I believe that it was spent on the resurfacing of the park and other infrastructure-related works.

[Nick]

Bob - you clearly have not a clue about much of this. This is all waffle. You are relentlessly negative in the most vague of terms. Have you ever beeen involved with anything like this on a personal basis?

I wonder if you have any idea of the work which has been put into all this? Have you even read properly what Nick has said?

Would you please now detail grant aiding bodies with which you have ever had any personal contact, or arts or national heritage organisations with which you have contacts?

You don't think that a museum and a heritage park is culture then? What's your version of 'culture'?

I think I could make a case, I think a project officer with experience of grant aid could make a case, and the Regeneration Partnership could make a very strong case indeed.

We have made some initial enquiries to funding organisations, and to inspectors who work on behalf of these organisations, and the initial response we have received is very positive. The fact that it would be the only heritage amusement park in the country significantly increases our chances, as does the fact that much of our park heritage is currently being lost. The fact that we would be creating a heritage amusement park around the single most important piece of amusement park heritage in the country also significantly increases our chances.

There is also the matter of Section 106 funding, which this project would be eligible for, potentially in lieu of affordable housing (which means that there would be no loss to the developer at all).

We have done a lot of work on this behind the scenes - we wouldn't be going public on this now were it not for the fact that we were confident that this project is deliverable.

Nothing that Bob has said above gives me the slightest cause for concern because it is almost all ill-founded.

[uvegotmale2000]

i love the idea for dreamland to be come a heritage park and think it would work very well
two questions that i have which gives me cause for conern is this

lets just say all goes well and the heritage site is given the go ahead and rides are drafted in and houses are built next door to it

what would happen about the noise from the amusement park? not being negative but considering the problems that alton towers have from local residents surely dreamland would venture the same problem?

im sure im not the only one thinking of this,just curious to know the answer to this if anyone could help me out with this?

2nd question is,the size of the amusement park,would that be the same size of what the travelling fairs have been using the last couple of years or smaller/bigger?
thanks for advance to any replies on these matters

[Nick]

i love the idea for dreamland to be come a heritage park and think it would work very well
two questions that i have which gives me cause for conern is this

lets just say all goes well and the heritage site is given the go ahead and rides are drafted in and houses are built next door to it

what would happen about the noise from the amusement park? not being negative but considering the problems that alton towers have from local residents surely dreamland would venture the same problem?

im sure im not the only one thinking of this,just curious to know the answer to this if anyone could help me out with this?

The remaining part of the development will also include some other leisure and retail. There is the opportunity for the developers to put a 'buffer' between the park and residential by ensuring that cafes, bars, shops and other leisure are immediately adjacent to the park, with residential behind. In addition, I do not believe this park would be particularly noisy. There would be no loud music nor would it have any really noisy rides like Oblivion at Alton Towers (which was the cause of most of their woes). There are several examples of residential sitting happily side-by-side with a seaside amusement park. Great Yarmouth's Pleasure Beach being one obvious example.

2nd question is,the size of the amusement park,would that be the same size of what the travelling fairs have been using the last couple of years or smaller/bigger?
thanks for advance to any replies on these matters

It would be bigger than the area used by the travelling fairs over the last few years.

[EAS]

I have to say the idea of this being funded partly by a section 106 agreement causes a few wry smiles!

The buffer zone of other leisure attractions, if carefully conceived, would be useful for Dreamland too, both could profit from each other, and anyone purchasing a house will have no excuses for saying they didn't know what was already there.

Hmmm... if grant aid was already given I wonder if there is some pay back clause?


As for Bob - the usual ill-informed twaddle really. Why does he bother?

Let's also remember that Englsih Heritage is now very interested in seaside heritage...

[Vince, Charlie and Sam]

I would say it is fairly essential that Waterbridge cede all rights of ownership over the Scenic Railway and the land allocated for funfair use and that this is passed to a preservation society set up specifically to be responsible for the future use of Dreamland amusement park before any development is approved.

If Waterbridge was not prepared to do this, then I would say it is a waste of time studying their present proposals or any future proposals.

I'm sure Bob will tell us if Waterbridge would be prepared to do this.

[EAS]

Let's look at the planning issues - I think Waterbridge has yet to prove the entire site unviable as a park, which it should do according to the Planning Inspectorate?

However - that had the waters muddied a little I think in the local plan.

So Waterbridge might have some problems doing exactly what it wishes with the site, but handing over a large chunk of it including a major heritage asset and plenty of cash in a Section 106 must help it on its way. The Section 106 would be instead of affordable housing, which is required otherwise (and gets quite complex for developers).

Of course, if Waterbridge allows the Scenic to become in a poor state of repair it could find itself on the end of compulsory purchase alongside who knows how much land with it? There is already an organisation willing to take it on in a back-to-back. And others willing to run the site who have a great deal of expertise.

I think it needs to start talking to people like the campaign. Like now. And realise just what a mess it has got itself into.

[uvegotmale2000]

Thank you nick for your answers to my questions.very postitive
it sounds wonderful,if there is anything we can do to help,please dont hesitate to ask

[EAS]

I do think though that people need to be realistic - all this has to be done within the law and planning policies, you can't simply take away from Waterbridge the right to formulate its plans and apply to Thanet do what it thinks fit with its own land. You can't force Waterbridge to hand anything over! Not at this point in time.

It's up to the local authority planning dept to balance up all interests and legal issues and ultimately to decide the fate of Dreamland. Obviously having some alternative plans in place helps but it's not the campaign's land and nor is it the campaign's planning dept. I think all this needs to be borne in mind.

There are possibilities and I think a great deal of give and take will have to happen, and much of it on the part of Waterbridge.

[Lou]

From my visit to the Winter Gardens and to see the plans at Dreamland, Waterbridge must have a pretty good ides how passionate people are about Dreamland and the Scenic. I think they have acquired a plot of land and have not realised the massive backlash from people who actually care about the uniqueness of it all. I feel that people have made their feelings known and realsie that we will not see Dreamland disappear.
The plan is fantastic, well done everyone involved, lets hope we get the whole site - maybe Waterbridge may donate it too us as a Trust and we can thank them by making Dreamland one of a kind....

[zamfir]

Godden should be forced to pay back the grant money he was given!

That would nicely fund the re-painting/treating of the Scenic.

I'm glad to see the SDC is still going strong, and I hope the unity will prevail, and we'll get our Dreamland back.

Slightly off-topic, but I went to Loudoun Castle this weekend, and it was so cool to ride the old Dreamland / Rotunda rides again!