A
campaign has been launched to save Britain’s oldest roller coaster. Nick
Laister, the person who secured listed building status for the ride last year,
is now heading up the campaign to save the Dreamland Pleasure Park (Margate,
UK) and the 83-year-old Scenic Railway roller coaster.
The
Scenic Railway roller coaster was built in 1920, the year that Dreamland
opened, and is the only listed amusement park ride in the United Kingdom. Since
the ride was listed, the owners of Dreamland have announced that the park is
to close. According to its owner, Jimmy Godden, the park is to be replaced by
"leisure boxes, some retail and a supermarket” (Source:
BBC Kent News).
The
Save Dreamland Campaign is being led by planning expert Nick Laister, a
leading authority on the UK theme park industry, planning consultant and editor of www.joylandbooks.com,
the specialist amusement park bookstore. Laister believes that closure of the
park would be a huge blow for Margate’s tourism industry and for Britain’s
amusement park heritage:
"The
Scenic Railway is the oldest roller coaster in Britain, at 83 years old, and
is one of only two surviving scenic railway coasters. It is a truly remarkable
survivor and entirely deserving of its Grade II listed status. I am concerned
that some members of Thanet Council already seem to have accepted that closure
of the park is inevitable. I find it astonishing that the closure of
Margate’s biggest tourist attraction could be seen as a benefit to Margate.
Dreamland is the only major seaside fun park in this part of the country. If
it closes, what will bring the people to Margate? Retail boxes and a
supermarket? You can see these in any town in Britain, you don't have to go to
Margate."
Since
its launch last week, the
Campaign is now speaking on behalf of 12,000 people who want to see Dreamland
and the Scenic Railway survive. These range from local residents of Margate to
international organisations which are involved in the preservation of historic
amusement park rides. The Campaign is also supported by the Roller Coaster
Club of Great Britain, the European Coaster Club and the 8,000-strong American
Coaster Enthusiasts.
Laister
adds: “National planning policy requires that, before demolition, a site
containing a listed building must be offered on the open market at an
realistic price. The closure of Dreamland seems to have been precipitated only
by the forthcoming retirement of the park’s owner. That is not sufficient
justification to close Dreamland, especially given the harm that will cause to
Margate’s tourism industry. I know from the hundreds of emails I have
received that locals, holidaymakers, and those interested in Britain’s
fast-disappearing seaside heritage do not want to see Dreamland or the Scenic
Railway go. I am convinced that there are other operators out there who would
be prepared to invest in Margate’s future as a seaside resort.”
Laister
has put together a proposal for the future of the Dreamland site, which he
will be discussing with planning officers shortly.
To
find out more about the Save Dreamland Campaign visit the campaign website at www.joylandbooks.com.
For
further information, or to organise interviews, please contact Nick
Laister on 01235 838214 (day), 07778 207036 (mobile) or 01235 762186
(evenings).
MESSAGE
ENDS
Information for Editors
Over
120 wooden roller coasters, the centrepiece of most amusement parks in the
20th Century, were built between 1885 and 1960. Only nine now survive.
Only two 'Scenic Railway' roller coasters now survive, and the Scenic Railway
at Dreamland is the only one surviving intact. The
removal of this ride would almost completely wipe out this important part of
British amusement park heritage.
The other surviving scenic railway is at the Pleasure Beach, Great Yarmouth,
and was built in 1932.
The Scenic Railway at Dreamland is the oldest surviving roller coaster in the
United Kingdom. Its age and rarity were major factors in support of its
listing.
The
report submitted to English Heritage, which resulted in the Scenic Railway
becoming a listed building, can be downloaded for free from http://www.joylandbooks.com/scenicrailway/.
When a structure is listed it is placed on a statutory list of buildings of
'special architectural or historic interest' compiled by the Secretary of
State for Culture, Media and Sport under the Planning (Listed Buildings and
Conservation Areas) Act 1990. Listing ensures that the architectural and
historic interest of a building is carefully considered before any alterations
are agreed. There are currently over 37,000 buildings and other structures
protected by listing status. For more information on listed buildings, visit
the English Heritage website on www.english-heritage.org.uk.
Nick Laister BA (Hons) DipTP MRTPI MIHT is a leading
authority on the UK theme park industry. He is a Chartered Town Planner and Technical
Director with the RPS Group plc, and specialises in planning for tourism and leisure. He
has been involved in a number of listed buildings and conservation cases, and has appeared
as expert witness at several public inquiries and hearings. He has written articles for a
number of newspapers and journals and has been invited to speak at conferences on the
subject of planning for tourism and leisure. He is regularly interviewed on
television and radio on the same subject. He is co-owner of Skelter
Publishing LLP and editor
of the web site www.joylandbooks.com.
Dreamland Fun Park is located at Belgrave Road, Margate. The telephone number
is 01843 227011.
The
contact number for English Heritage is 0870 333 1181.
Further reading about amusement park and fairground history can be found at
the specialist online bookstore www.joylandbooks.com.
Regular articles on the subject appear monthly on the fairground preservation
website www.thegalloper.com.
See
also BBC News story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/news/stories/200301/06/dreamland.shtml.
Additional
quotes:
"Without
Dreamland, Margate will become a very ordinary resort with nothing to
distinguish it from all its competitors. At a time when all resorts are
struggling to attract tourists, it makes no sense whatsoever to take away the
one thing that makes Margate stand out from the rest. And all presumably in
aid of a quick profit by the current owner. Forget the quick profit Mr Godden
- think about the long term damage this will do to the resort."
Dave
Lawrence
Margate
holidaymaker
"A
considerable number of our members, including myself, have many happy memories
of riding the Scenic Railway. This is truly sad news and everyone I have
spoken to has agreed that something must be done. The European Coaster Club is
100% behind this campaign and we are all crossing our fingers hoping that we
will be able to ride the Scenic Railway for many more years to come."
Richard
Foster
Chairman
European Coaster Club
"The
American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE), as the world's largest club of amusement
park fans, with over 8,000 members worldwide, fully supports the effort to
preserve the Scenic Railway. It is the fifth oldest operating roller coaster
in the World, and one of only nine scenic railways left in the World. One of
ACE's primary goals is the preservation of historic roller coasters, and we
feel that the Scenic Railway easily meets the criteria as a valuable piece of
the history of amusement parks and as such should be saved."
Matt
Crowther
Preservation
Director,
ACE