News: October 2006

In  January 2003 the owner of Dreamland, Jimmy Godden, announced the closure of Dreamland. The park is to be redeveloped as "leisure boxes, some retail and a supermarket". Joyland Books will provide updates on the campaign to save Dreamland and its internationally-important Scenic Railway ride.

Click here for the latest news

Wednesday, 25 October 2006

Campaign Leader Nick Laister is interviewed by the Bridlington Free Press about his new book, Pennies by the Sea, and the Save Dreamland Campaign gets a mention! Click here to read the interview.

Saturday, 21 October 2006

Yesterday's Isle of Thanet Gazette reported that six hundred replies have been received by Dreamland owners to a public consultation started last month.

Wednesday, 18 October 2006

The Parliamentary Select Committee for Communities and Local Government visited Dreamland today to meet Save Dreamland Campaign Coordinator Sarah Vickery as part of its inquiry into Coastal Towns. In addition to answering the Committee's questions, Sarah gave them a short summary document setting out the background to Dreamland, the Campaign and the main issues we have faced in our three years in existence. Click here to view the Campaign's summary submission in PDF format (or here for Microsoft Word format). A more detailed report of the visit will be added shortly.

Tuesday, 17 October 2006

The Select Committee for Communities and Local Government, who are conducting the Coastal Towns Enquiry, are visiting Margate tomorrow and have specifically requested a meeting with a representative of the Campaign. Sarah Vickery will be representing the Campaign and will be answering questions from Committee Members Dr Phyllis Starkey MP (Chair), Mr Clive Betts MP, Lynn Brown MP, Dr John Pugh MP, Mr Greg Hands MP and Ann Main MP. In addition to visiting Dreamland, the Select Committee will be visiting the Royal Sea Bathing Hospital, Dalby Square, the Lido and the site of the Turner Contemporary.

A couple of Dreamland-related letters appeared in Friday's Isle of Thanet Gazette, questioning the methods being used by the Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company on their consultation on Dreamland:

People’s Margate

Remember the hugely expensive Margate master plan just a couple of years back when the council’s questionnaire studiously avoided a box to put your views on the future of Dreamland and the Scenic Railway?

Now, following a promise of real and democratic consultation, we have a repeat by the grandly named Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company, which once again ignores the future of Dreamland and the Scenic Railway, the key to retaining a viable funfair element. That is a thorn in their side they would love to see the back of, as proved by their flip book. Yes, let’s have real democratic and meaningful consultation, as for far too long the people of Margate have suffered at the hands of decisions made behind closed doors by politicians and their cronies.

These people need to realise that if this poor old town is ever to rise again from the mess they have got it into, that they need to cater for the tastes of everybody, visitors and public alike, and not just the chosen few.

Mick Twyman, Addiscombe Road, Margate

Act, don’t react

I read the paper every week and all I read on the letters page is people whinging and moaning about what the council and big business is doing to them. If they don’t like what is going on then do something about it.

Have you ever heard the phrase people should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of the people?  Do you honestly think the Margate regeneration company is going to listen to you about Dreamland? It can take all the surveys they want, it still isn’t going to listen and just build houses there to make money. You moan yet you carry on paying your council tax every year, why? If you feel that strongly make them listen instead of turning a blind eye to what is going on.

David Kelly, Linksfield Road, Westgate
 

Sunday, 15 October 2006

Save Dreamland Campaign leader Nick Laister is the author of a brand new book, which is available now from all good retailers. Pennies by the Sea: The Life and Times of Joyland Amusements, Bridlington is the first book to be released on the phenomenon of the seaside amusement arcade, based around the history of what was one of Britain’s largest – Joyland Amusements in the East Yorkshire seaside resort of Bridlington. The book is a rags to riches tale of how a glove seller from Sheffield market turned a collection of buildings on Bridlington seafront into a palace of fun with slot machines, fairground rides and amazing sideshows. It also explores life in this most extraordinary of worlds, based on interviews with people who worked at Joyland and other arcades in Bridlington from the 1930s to the present day. Signed copies are also available. Click here for more information or to buy your copy. Or visit the publishers' dedicated website: www.joyland.co.uk.

 

Monday, 9 October 2006

Campaign leader Nick Laister and Dreamland owner Toby Hunter were both interviewed on the John Warnett Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Kent this morning. The interview was about the Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company's (MTCRC) public consultation on the Dreamland site. Both Warnett and Laister asked Hunter why the consultation website does not mention Dreamland anywhere, but no sensible explanation was forthcoming. Laister, who pointed out that the consultation is masquerading as a consultation on the whole of Margate, said that unless MTCRC is open about the reason for the consultation, the results of the exercise will be "worthless".

Sunday, 8 October 2006

Friday was a bumper news day for Dreamland and the Save Dreamland Campaign. The Isle of Thanet Gazette featured a news item about the current consultation on Dreamland.

Friday's Thanet Extra included an article on last weekend's Exodus event.

Friday, 6 October 2006

Yesterday's Adscene included a news item about the Dreamland consultation.

Tuesday's Thanet Times also included extensive reports on Dreamland.

Wednesday, 3 October 2006

The Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) has refused to list the Cyclone roller coaster at Pleasureland (Southport, UK) following a last-minute appeal. On the advice of English Heritage, DCMS denied listed building status to the ride last month; the appeal was an attempt by local campaigners to save the ride from almost certain demolition.

Tuesday, 2 October 2006

Dreamland makes the New York Times in an article about Saturday's Exodus event. Click here to view the article.

Sunday, 1 October 2006

Campaign Leader Nick Laister appeared on The Politics Show this lunchtime on BBC1. Nick was at Crealy Great Adventure Park in Devon discussing theme park planning issues.