Members of the Margate Town Deal Board have agreed the list of projects that will be put forward for the £22,2 million Margate Town Deal scheme.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has offered £22.2 million in response to an initial Town Deal bid submitted at the end of last year for £29 million.
The agreed projects are:
Interim Chair of the Margate Town Deal Board, David Smith CBE said: “The process of re prioritising the Margate Town Deal projects has been an incredibly challenging one. The projects submitted as part of our original bid to Government had merit and sought to bring real and tangible change to our seaside town.
“The Board has worked hard to ensure that as many of the original projects as possible could be included. Unfortunately, some bids have needed to be scaled back but I am very confident that we can put forward to Government an ambitious plan for investing in Margate.”
The Margate Town Deal website provides a starting point for projects needing to find alternative sources of funding for projects which are not taken forward as part of the Margate Town Deal.
If any of the selected projects prove to be undeliverable then the project team and Board will discuss with MHCLG the opportunity to re-prioritise those projects that did not get through this time. The Margate Town Investment Plan supports a long term vision for the regeneration of Margate and, alongside the stakeholder engagement, will form a useful source of evidence for other funding programmes.
The Board commissioned independent consultants PRD Ltd to develop a framework to help assess how each project put forward would deliver against key criteria.
All projects that have been prioritised by the Board will still need to meet the requirements of the Business Case phase and due diligence requirements (over the next 12 months) before any funding is finally approved.
Further details including a copy of the framework used by the Board to support their decision making process, will be published on the Margate Town Deal website next week.
Part of the Town Deal process is community engagement and in October 2020 a Margate People’s Panel was formed. Thanet council is now looking to increase membership of the Panel to support the Board during the next phase of the process up until March 2022. To find out more information and apply, go to www.margatetowndeal.co.uk.
Quite what at Dreamland is 4 million for? Any details. Surely its not going to the new owners? Or is it to settle outstanding liabilities?
Following the link, i can find a list of proposed projects of which “destination dreamland” is listed, it talks about a derelict art deco building which i assume is the cinema. But this was sold to Sands Heritage and descride in the isleofthanet news as restored by TDC.
So having sold it all off for 7million , we’re giving 4 million back?
I can’t believe i’ve understood this correctly, does anyone know whats happening?
Dreamland park and buildings were actually sold for only £2.3m – the rest was for the Dreamland car park.
So with the £4m additional public funding, Dreamland has actually been paid to take it away !
£1.8m of public funding was spent refurbing the Dreamland building and cafe about five years ago and it has sat empty ever since.
Why is money being given or invested in private enterprises. £22.2 million should be spent totally on assets that TDC hold in the publics name with the tenders being accepted only from those companies that Cllr’s and their families or County Councillors and threir families have no financial interest in. All tenders should be scrutinised by a mixture of professional and lay people who are not connected to the “Margate Town Deal” or any other previous project where public money has been entrusted so that every contract can be scrutinised.
I have no financial involvement in any of these schemes and was invited to be involved in these decisions as i was NOT invited to be on the board even though i am the Margate county councillor.
This should be stopped as Dreamland is an entirely private company. The Town Deal Board should not be agreeing to give £4 million to a non public company with a director on the board. That could easily be taken as being corrupt.
Plus why is the Creative Land Trust an organisation that buys or leases properties to provide spaces for the arts , getting so much. How much art space does margate need. Could that money not go into the Winter Gardens and so provide space for everyone including the arts.
Or why not let TDC do the same and at least have assets for the town.
Between them and Dreamland that’s 10 million gone.
https://creativelandtrust.org/
Once again td c have surpassed themselves by giving 4million to a private company!!!!!! How much longer can this corruption go on?
Surely it’s good news that Dreamland is getting a bit of a leg up. It will attract more people to come to our beautiful seaside and hopefully spend money to help our local businesses
It’s already had more leg ups than a chorus line at the Windmill.
Millions were given in grants to preserve its heritage, yet the historic rides now seem to play second fiddle to pop concerts.
It went bust, leaving local tradesmen badly out of pocket.
And recently the site’s been sold for a song to the current owners.
The situation bears little comparison to the much-trumpeted promises of not so long ago. Remember Wayne Hemingway and his fun park for hipsters?
Remember the promised largest pinball collection in Europe?
The millions must be benefitting someone, but there’s little evidence that it’s the people of Margate.
As a disgruntled ex interested party in the Dreamland fiasco, being the owner and proposed collaborator for the pinball/vintage arcade, I can tell you that the claim was made by Eddie Kemsley when the Dreamland Trust (who we worked closely with) was still going to be running things. As soon as Sands Heritageless were handed the site, on a plate, by Thanet disgusting Council, they promptly sold off the rights to the arcade space to HB leisure, who then filled it up with their usual mundane crap that litters all their other arcades, and true to form, because it was Thanet, they dug out all their rubbish machines (their managers words) to fill the place up. we were grudgingly offered a 25 machine spot, on sufferance!! As soon as the Administrators were brought in they decided that even that amount of vintage was too much and under the seemingly catch all powers that Administrators have, they revoked our contract.
We were left with lots of stock and nowhere to go. Offered to take up the seafront site which has remained empty ever since but no joy there either. TDC should be shot for what they are getting away with
It’ll also be interesting to get details on “highway interventions” which rather looks like making marine drive one way and closed totally at certain times.
Should look wonderful alongside rows of stinking plastic portaloos.
No doubt the devil is in the deatial and all will be revealed in time. But really does look as though a golden opportunity to make substantial investment in the basic infrastucture of the towns facilities ( winter gardens, toilets, pier , at least theatreroyal is getting a reasonable sum but have doubts that if its to include a new hotelcacross the road in the council owned building that the money won’t go far in the theatre itself) is being sqaundered. Bear in mind that professional fees in respect of the listed buildings will likely be around 15% of the budgets.
I didnt realise the money was going to private companies. 4 million for dreamland lol.
Does thanet ever learn
Can I start a private company and have 4 million to ‘invest’ please TDC ?
I have abit of waste ground that I can put a few old uninteresting rides on. Than in a few years time build some house on it
PS
I am shocked that no money went to the Turner Centre, come on TDC you are slipping, give them another couple of million
£500000 for a feasibility study for The Winter Gardens. Who are they using to write this report? I’d like to see how this was chosen too? Were other companies tendering for the same work?
A comprehensive survey of the condition of the building alone with recomendations for repairs will cost probably half of that, then studies as to what would be needed to make the venue suitable for modern use and surveys and costings will easily scoff the other half. Hopefully there’s a masterplan or knowedge of signidficant funding to actually do something rather than let it rot further.
But who knows, perhaps it’ll just be allowed to become unusable,whilst we shower the the chosen few with millions.
Really how much more public money and effectively Central Govt Subsidy is Dreamland going to be given? Tens of millions squandered on this site too date . The cinema is increasingly being subject to graffiti tagging, which is getting worse as each month passes as nothing is done to clean this up or the surrounding site the last time I looked .The cinema project must be amongst one of the most expensive white elephants in the country.
The interior is derelict with few if any original features left and yes an interesting Art Deco external facade but useless in its current state.
Just how much longer will the residents of Thanet have to wait to see this refurbishment finished and business taking place on site ?
YOU CANT POLISH A TURD !
That is true you cant ! But it doesnt stop TDC giving the t**d millions of pounds
But you can spend a large fortune trying.
I thought the idea of the money was to help the town of Margate not private enterprises, TDC have already lost money on Dreamland even though they say they got their money back on the sale how about the loss in interest. So they intend to give them 4 million which after ten years it could turn into a housing estate, I think the local MPs should be looking at this and finally stop wasting money on arty farty projects its not what the vaste population wants in Margate
Local mp
Roger gale is on the board and obviously agreed with £4 million to be given to dreamland. I as the local county councillor would have opposed this handout but for some reason i was barred from being on the board.
The creativelandtrust if its the one that comes up on a web search is an organisation that buys or leases buildings then rents it out a reasonable rates to the arts community. All well and good but its primarily london based. I can only assume that being given 6 million it’ll be able to aquire a considearable ammount of margate property ( any guesses as to the likes of the old primark or buying properties already occupied by art type people?)
Will the revenues raised be kept solely for reinvestment in Margate? If not then surely it would have been better to have formed a similar organisation here and so ensure any revenues stay in the area. It rather looks as though we’ve just made a massive contribution to the asset value of an arts oriented community project in london.
Can’t wait for the full declaration from tdc about all this.
And after Millions given to the town, Is there any money for the public toilets?!?!?!?! 💩 WC 💧