'Trigger' from Only Fools and Horses joins the
campaign to save Dreamland Fun Park (Margate, UK) and its Grade II listed roller
coaster, the Scenic Railway, which is threatened with redevelopment. Actor Roger
Lloyd Pack, who has been one of the main characters in the long-running BBC
television series for over 20 years, has offered his complete support to the
campaign. Roger says:
"I
support the campaign to save Dreamland unequivocally. An amusement park is far
more important to Margate than another development or hotel. The needs of
Margate should be respected more than filling the pockets of a greedy
developer."
The
1989 Only Fools and Horses Christmas Special, 'Jolly Boy's Outing', was filmed
in Margate and featured extensive footage of the cast enjoying Dreamland's
attractions.
Campaign leader Nick Laister said today: "It
is great to have someone as popular and high profile as Roger on board with the
Campaign. Roger's message to Margate's decision makers is a clear one, and I
hope this will help to drive the message home. After all, both the adopted and
emerging local plans say exactly the same thing. This is a message we will be
discussing with council leaders over the coming weeks. "
The Campaign has been launched to save the
Dreamland Pleasure Park, Margate, home of the UK’s oldest roller coaster, the
83-year-old listed Scenic Railway. Dreamland’s owner proposes to replace the
park with a supermarket, shops and casino. The Campaign is 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. The Campaign is now speaking on behalf of
over 12,000 people, including local residents, businesses and organisations such
as the Margate Historical Society, European Coaster Club, Roller Coaster Club of
Great Britain and SAVE Britain’s Heritage.
This week the Campaign launched its local
headquarters in Margate, headed by Local Campaign Coordinator Sarah Vickery.
Sarah owns the Grade I listed Shell Grotto in Margate, a popular tourist
attraction with shop, museum and café attached. She is Vice-Chair of the Isle
of Thanet Tourism Association, Chair of the Thanet Contemporary Arts Festival
and a member of the Margate Events Group. Before taking over the Grotto, she was
a journalist specialising in arts and travel.
Commenting this week on the Council’s plan to
launch a public consultation to find a replacement use for the Dreamland site,
Nick Laister said:
"What
is important here is Margate's future as a seaside resort, and the retention of
its most famous attraction. Clear planning policies have been drafted to ensure
that Dreamland survives for the benefit of the town. The Local Plan states that
redevelopment of Dreamland will not be permitted, and the site is home to a
completely unique historic ride, which is protected by its statutory listing.
One man should not be allowed to dictate a town's future, nor should his
decisions be allowed to destroy a structure of such rarity and historic value.
What does matter here are the views of the thousands of people who support this
campaign, both locally and nationally, who know that the redevelopment of
Dreamland will mean the end for Margate as a seaside resort. It is therefore
important that the forthcoming public consultation is based on proper planning
objectives in the development plan and national planning policy guidance.
“I
say this to Thanet District Council: Don't throw away all the work you have done
on your Local Plan. Don't throw away your town's history. And, most importantly
of all, don't throw away your town's prosperity."
Nick Laister and Sarah Vickery will be meeting with
North Thanet MP Roger Gale on 18th February 2003 to discuss the
Campaign’s own proposals for the future of the park
To find out more about the Save Dreamland Campaign
visit the campaign website at http://www.savedreamland.co.uk/.
For further information, or to organise interviews,
please contact Nick Laister on 01235 838214 (day), 07778 207036
(mobile) or 01235 762186 (evenings) or Sarah
Vickery on 01843 220008.
MESSAGE ENDS
Information for Editors
The official campaign website
is www.savedreamland.co.uk.
The campaign can be emailed at campaign@savedreamland.co.uk.
The address for all correspondence is Save Dreamland Campaign, The Shell Grotto,
Grotto Hill, Margate, Kent CT9 2BU.
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.
Click
here to email Nick Laister.
Sarah
Vickery owns and runs the Grade 1 listed Shell Grotto in Margate, a popular
tourist attraction with shop, museum and cafe attached. She is Vice-Chair of the
Isle of Thanet Tourism Association, Chair of the Thanet Contemporary Arts
Festival and a member of the Margate Events Group. She moved to Margate with her
family in 2001 to take over the Grotto which she has known and loved since
childhood. Before this Sarah was a journalist specialising in arts and travel,
writing for a range of magazines and newspapers and editing books. Click
here to email Sarah Vickery.
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.