The new Dreamland theme park will be rising from the ashes in Easter, 2011.
That’s the tentative date set by the people behind the massive multi-million-pound project in Margate.
The initial money from the Heritage Lottery Fund has arrived and means they can start a recruitment drive for the key people who will make it a reality.
The non-for-profit company Dreamland Trust said it had got £384,500 of funding, which means it can take on three people to take forward detailed proposals.
Phase One of the project, worth £12.4 million, will create the world’s first amusement park to solely feature thrilling historic rides and will be
centred on the Grade II-listed Scenic Railway roller-coaster, the oldest in Britain at 89 years.
Some 20 per cent of the railway’s tracks, the workshops where the trains were stored and part of the ‘station’ were destroyed in arson attack in April last year.
The second phase will involve the restoration of the Grade II-listed Dreamland Cinema building as a multi-purpose entertainment venue, creating a
national centre for seaside heritage, popular culture and street style.
Dreamland Trust chairman Nick Laister said: “We are now recruiting a core team to make this exciting concept a reality.
“Heading up the team will be the project director, who will become the public face of Dreamland, driving the project forward.
“The project director will be supported by an audience development officer who will be the public liaison point for the project and will organise exhibitions and other events.
“The third post is a project archivist, who will research, collate and disseminate historical information relating to the Dreamland site, seaside culture and amusement parks in general.”
Mr Laister said they were now aiming to open to the public by Easter, 2011, if everything ran to plan for the Belgrave Road site, which is owned by Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company.
Mr Laister is a planning consultant and leading authority on the British amusement park industry.
The trust has negotiated the ‘rescue’ of a number of threatened vintage rides, most of which are now in storage in various locations.
The rides include the Caterpillar, Water Chute, Whip, Wild Mouse and River Caves, and they have been acquired from Southport Pleasureland, Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Rhyl’s Ocean Beach.
In some cases, these represent the last surviving examples of their type, he said.
Mr Laister said: “This is a tremendously exciting venture for all of us.
“This money means we are able to move to the next level and start getting more detailed plans and drawings done for the planning stage.
“It will allow work to actually start on site early next year, and then opening at Easter, 2011.”
He said that once work started they would have a better idea if everything was going to slot in to place and make the planned opening date.
POSTED: 20/09/2009 13:00:00
Bookmark with:
Email to a friend: