DREAMLAND SCENIC RAILWAY AND CINEMA, MARGATE, KENT

Dreamland lies in the centre of Margate and was once the heart of the town's visitor appeal, consisting of a major amusement park and pleasure gardens. Dreamland's large listed cinema on Marine Parade is a particularly fine example of an inter-war 'super cinema' and more recently it hosted bingo but has now closed completely. The adjacent amusement park is mostly empty but for the listed Scenic Railway - a type of early roller coaster in which a brake-man on board controlled the speed of the cars. So, although not as tall as modern roller coasters, the ride was often quite exciting! It is one of only a handful to survive worldwide but, lying unused for several years, the ride suffered fire damage in 2008. Following the fire, an approach was made to The Prince's Regeneration Trust to assist with regenerating Dreamland and returning it to the heart of Margate.

The total area of the Dreamland site runs to 16 acres and is situated in a central position in the town; adjacent to the railway station and parallel to the promenade. Its re-use is therefore crucial to the regeneration of Margate.

The Princes Regeneration Trust was commissioned by the Margate Renewal Partnership to prepare a Scoping Report outlining a way forward for the site as a heritage-led regeneration scheme and successfully argued for feasibility funding for the site. Subsequently, we were commissioned to prepare a Conservation Statement for the three Listed structures and to manage the feasibility studies by a multi-disciplinary team of consultants with relevant specialist knowledge for a self-sustaining visitor attraction on the site. The feasibility work led to a successful Stage One pass for Heritage Lottery Fund support of £2.9m, a major bid under the Government's Sea Change initiative, and a package of other support from the landowners, Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company, and other agencies. The site is to be managed by the newly formed Dreamland Trust.