It's
very sad to see Margate in it's present state. I moved here in 1972
a boy from Glasgow, and was amazed at the atmosphere. Busy beaches,
Dreamland packed with holiday makers and daytrippers, and a healthy
supply of hotels.To think those days will return by sticking an art
gallery in, is not only naive, but dangerous. Margate has a large transient
poulation of mostly young people, and the last thing they are going
to stay for is a Turner center, with no Turners. as a sea side town
with probably the best beach on the Kent coast. Most local children
grow up knowing more about American ' trash' culture than the sea on
thier doorstep. State of the art water parks, Sealife centres, a reinvented
Dreamland, anything to make people want to stay for more than a few
hours.But please, Thanet council, who do you think will want to visit
a gallery that will probably end up as a under visited display of Tracy
Emins "art".
Andrew
A beautiful beach, with donkey rides and roundabouts and ice cream and
kiss me quick hats for sale, traditional amusements, fish and chips
or elegant restaurants, the winter gardens, the old town, art galleries
opening up, buildings being restored. Still popular as a day tripper
destination despite Dreamland's demise, poverty and a little neglect
here and there. Is your glass half empty or half full? Still plenty
to offer, good old honest Margate. When was the last time you really
looked?
Anon
Whilst i agree with Martin McDonald that the main road along the sea
front of Margate should be done away with, i do not share his devotion
to the Turner centre. The money that has already been wasted on this
totally usless and unrealistic project could have been better spent
in providing more appropriate improvements in Thanet and i think heads
should roll. Margate is just one town that suffers from lack of investment
and all the time the local councils are building up Westwood Cross and
building pipe dreams like the Turner centre our towns around Thanet
will be left to flounder. i say lets invest in the towns that we already
have and say goodbye to the Turner centre and Westwood cross.I have
seen the Turner painting of Margate in the fog from the sea, quite frankly
i thought it was rubbish.
Stephen Stock, long time resident of Thanet
How right Martin is to focus on the future instead of dwelling in the
past. Towns are constantly changing - and they can go up as well as
down. Those responsible for Margate must look at the world as it is
now. How many residents of Margate support other English seaside towns
- or do they fly abroad like everyone else? So don't expect holidaymakers
to return to Margate. Plan for the future! PS loved the pedestrianisation
idea - so simple yet what a dramatic impact.
Cathy
I watched Martin’s video nation clip on Margate with interest.
I lived in a large flat in Broadstairs in the late ‘70s and early
‘80s and, even then, Margate was seen as the ‘poor relation’
of the Isle of Thanet. Although it attracted more day-trippers and had
a better beach than Ramsgate, there was always the underlying idea that
it was a shabby and tacky little place, fading from its days of genteel
Victorian popularity. When I visited in late October, I hardly recognised
the buzzing, bustling seaside town of my youth. The place has gradually
fallen into a state of crumbling disarray.
Sam.
I was born in Margate in 1983. I still visit the town regularly and
i concede it is a depressing sight. From working with charities in London
i have heard a lot about the drug problems in the town and i'm sure
the social and economic demise runs far deeper than the 'Dreamland'
saga. However some of my fondest childhood memories are from the fun
park. I have always believed in Margate, it has many problems but it
also has many people. I don't like the generalised nostalgia about the
town, there is far more to Margate than the past. The Turner centre
appeals to me as a london based architecture student and reads well
in the international press, i think this is a brave and very positive
move, however to ignore the rest of the town or picture it as a dirty
shadow and a dying fair ground is unfair, especially as i expect the
majority of the population will question the worth of such an expensive
gallery. Many run down towns throughout europe have tried to kick start
rege! neration through iconic architecture and applications to become
the 'european city of culture'. I see this as a gamble, especially with
british building costs and regualtions. I believe the turner centre
should be built, i also want to see dreamland restored into a classic
fun park themed around the scenic railway but for the town to have a
real future the people who live their need to be empowered. fighting
local social issues such as crime and drugs, should not be over looked.
A turner painting is brilliant but some poeple just want a nice local
shop in a street where less than half the shops are boarded up. I fear
implanting major plans and iconic cultural buildings may not cause the
over night miracle the town needs. Careful long term support to fight
anti-social issues and to improve the life of people who live in the
town would, in the long run, allow the towns economy to become independantly
sustainable. The town needs 'depth' not a new 'face'. All of the towns
i have visited who have based their reinvention on major arts build!
ings sti ll have the underlying social problems, there just not on the
sea front.
David Di Duca, London
I found this video extremely biased. I am a member of the Save Dreamland
Campaign. Even living outside the area I know what the underlying reason
for Dreamland's current plight really is. Put quite bluntly it's all
about current land values and big business. Non-amusement park related
activity on this site would offer far higher land values than in its
present usage status.
I noticed Spenser's comments; living where you do now you may be aware
that Miami's South Beach area was indeed very run-down about a decade
or so ago. I spoke to a local guy there last November who said how he
wished he'd taken some shots of that era now as the whole area has undergone
a dramatic dynamic facelift, creating the now famed Art Deco area. Prime
restaurants and hotels now grace the area creating a buzzing culture.
No amusement park in sight there (as far as I know) but there is a fairly
new classic Hurricane wooden rollercoaster not a million miles down
the road!
My point is that with the right investment any area can be completely
transformed. All it takes is some imagination and the will to succeed;
with the correct operator I'm certain Dreamland can re-invent itself
and draw sizeable crowds that no art gallery could ever achieve, in
my opinion. Also, amusement parks have no class divides; open to all.
That's how a real seaside resort should be, in my opinion.
Martin Porter Maidstone, Kent
Would just like to say that Dreamland has been going downhill over the
last couple of years until this year when everything but the Grade II
listed Scenic Railway roller coaster was left. But there is light at
the end of the tunnel because on May 21st Dreamland is reopening Read
more here: www.joylandbooks.com/scenicrailway/news.htm
Ian Collins
The closure of Dreamland has had a significant effect on Margate, particularly
on local businesses involved in tourism. However many of the reasons
for its demise are purely due to the wishes of the owners, who wish
to redevelop the site as housing and retail for financial gain. The
park can form part of a revitalised and vibrant seaside resort and under
proper management would improve the tone of the area. Dreamland is due
to open soon (21st of May 2005) under a 2 year lease with 15 major rides
currently being moved onto the site. Hopefully this will bring people
back to Margate and improve the situation for local business, but a
longer term solution is needed. Margate is a seaside town and it is
attractions such as Dreamland that will bring in large numbers of visitors.
The Turner Centre is unlikely to produce the same volume of visitors
and those who visit are unlikely to make repeat visits. No planning
permission has been granted for the site yet; and a campaign to retain
the park site for leisure use as well as retaining the Grade II listed
Scenic Railway can be found at www.savedreamland.co.uk
I was born in Grosvenor Place in 1938, even during the war years Margate
was a better town than that of today. And that's grand coming from someone
who took off to Perth WA to give his kids a better life. We have been
back 2002 and 2003. Look at the Lido - my heart breaks at the abject
desolation of this area. Dreamland used to have fireworks every week-end,
it was a place to be seen. It was alive with Londoners on a weekend.
Coaches queued from Acol roundabout to get in. So sad to see it now.
Used to have the Sundeck just off the Nayland Rock area - now you have
a toilet block. There is nothing going for Margate, if it were a house
you'd knock down and start again. Thank God I got out, your welcome
to Margate 2005. Spenser Perth, WA
I grew up in margate and when i was a boy in the early eighties it was
a sound place to live my parents even had a hotel because so many people
would stay there. I now live abroad, maily because margate became so
bad that I could not stand it. I have been once in the 15 years that
I have lived outside and i think that i feel sorry for anyone still
living there. sorry everyone. |
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