Progress has been made on a number of regeneration projects in Margate and Ramsgate, says Thanet council, with refurbishment work started at the Margate Digital site; a contractor appointed for three Ramsgate projects and a planning application lodged for the next stage of the Ramsgate Clock House refurbishment.
Planning permission has also been granted to refurbish the public toilets at Margate Main Sands, with the addition of new accessible facilities, and the Margate Creative Land Trust has bought its first property.
The projects all come under a £51m scheme across the three programmes – Margate Town Deal £22.2m; Ramsgate Levelling Up £19.8m; Margate Levelling Up £6.3m and Future High Street Fund £2.7m.
In March 2021, Margate was allocated up to £22.2m of government funding through the Town Deal. The funding has been allocated to projects in the town with a focus on creating jobs, supporting the town centre, boosting businesses and connecting people to where they live and work either through infrastructure or digital technologies.
In October 2021, the government confirmed two bids to the Levelling Up Fund had been successful; one bid for Ramsgate (£19.8m) and one bid for Margate (£6.3m).
The bid for Ramsgate was made up of three components: the Port, the Royal Harbour and Assets to Connect with Opportunities. The bid for Margate focused on the MargateDigital project.
In July 2023, the government’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) invited 10 local authorities across England to pilot a new approach to funding delivery called the Simplification Pathfinder Pilot. Thanet District Council was one of the authorities selected to take part.
Margate Digital
Margate Digital gained a £6.3million allocation to create a digital and education campus with studios, gallery, café and workshops at the former M&S building in Margate.
The Margate Digital project will include 2,000 sq m of industry-relevant training space which will focus on digital technology.
The bid involved using £6,306,078 Levelling Up funding with EKC Group ‘match-funding’ £720,000 plus an additional further education budget for programme delivery and student support.
The M&S building, owned in a joint venture between Thanet council and Homes England, is let to EKC Group on a 125-year, peppercorn rent lease.
The ambition is to inspire a diverse range of people and provide them with the skills to gain employment in the digital and creative sectors.
The project is led by EKC Group, in partnership with Thanet District Council.
The property, formerly occupied by Marks & Spencer, has been empty since 2017. So far, work has been completed to remove asbestos and repair the roof, funded by a £750,000 grant through the government’s Town Deal fund.
Jenner Contractors Ltd were selected to deliver the refurbishments through a competitive tendering process to ensure best value.
There have been delays to the scheme which was earmarked to be completed last year.
However, work has now started and is expected to be completed in the autumn. The first students are expected to enrol on courses starting in the Autumn 2025.
Green Campus, Clock House and Harbour Placemaking schemes
In December 2024, Willmott Dixon Construction Ltd was appointed to three regeneration projects in Ramsgate.
The Kent-based firm will deliver the town’s Green Campus, Clock House and Harbour Placemaking schemes as part of the Thanet Pathfinder/Levelling Up programme.
It is expected that work on the three schemes will start in summer 2025, with completion anticipated in 2026.
Ramsgate Clock House
The refurbishment of the Ramsgate Clock House was included as part of the original Ramsgate Levelling Up Fund submission. The scheme aims to refurbish the Grade II* Listed structure, creating a heritage centre for the town and a new café.
The original project was based on a successful Heritage Lottery Fund bid. As this was ultimately unsuccessful, the scheme has undergone a number of changes. It will include a café to the side of the Clock House. The ambition is for it to support the sustainability of the Heritage Hub, by providing a small income for the maintenance of the building.
The project had £3.36m allocated to refurbishing the building and creating a heritage hub for the town.
Since the Clock House building was returned to the council in November 2023, the electrical wiring has been upgraded and made safe, and urgent repairs to the stonework facades completed.
A planning application was submitted this month (February). If approved, the Grade II* Listed building will be refurbished to provide the heritage and community space and new café. It is hoped that work will start on site in late spring 2025 and will be completed by spring 2026.
Alongside the work to restore the building, the project to audit the collection is nearing completion. A team of trained volunteers have been working with the Museum Curator cataloguing the objects within the former Maritime Museum building.
Ramsgate Pier Yard and Highways works (placemaking)
The Pier Yard scheme was part of the original Ramsgate Levelling Up Fund submission and the Highways works was part of the Future High Street Fund bid.
The two schemes have been combined to benefit from one construction contractor and programme
In the Pier Yard car park, the scheme aims to remove the parking and create a public square.
The aim of the highway works is to improve the roundabout and crossing points along Harbour Parade, Military Road and Royal Parade and improve connectivity between the town centre and harbour areas.
The Planning Application and S278 Agreements needed to deliver the scheme through Kent County Council are targeted for approval/completion by May 2025. The total budget is £2,955,264.
Ramsgate Green Campus
The design is now for a phased scheme with a budget of £6,101,350.
The first phase includes two buildings; a public-facing central core for the Green Campus, with café, conference and meeting facilities, and the first workspace block, to support small and new maritime businesses, as well as provide education opportunities.
Richard Poulter, Managing Director at Construction South said: “We are delighted to have been appointed as the contractor for this exciting project through the Scape framework. Having been involved since spring 2024, we look forward to bringing our expertise to deliver another exceptional, high-quality project in Kent.
“Our strong commitment to social value and sustainability, aligned with Thanet District Council’s approach, prioritises local employment and enablement through business opportunities, ensuring the project will not only benefit the community during construction but also ensure it leaves a lasting legacy well beyond its completion.”
Matt Brooks, Director of Project Management at AECOM, said: “Having worked closely with Thanet District Council to develop and procure the Pathfinder (regeneration) schemes, we look forward to working collaboratively with Willmott Dixon Construction.
“WDC’s delivery of these transformative schemes at Ramsgate will afford opportunities for the local labour and supplier markets and, upon completion, provide buildings and places that enhance Ramsgate and benefit those who live and work there.”
Facilities for the Fishing Industry
An allocation of £100,000 of Levelling Up Funding is planned for quayside fishing facilities at the Royal Harbour, to support the growth and resilience of the Ramsgate’s fishing community.
The Fishermen’s Association submitted a list of proposed projects, which have been estimated to cost more than the £100,000 available.
The project team is working on potential design solutions to identify whether there is greater value that can be identified within the existing funding allocation.
A bid for further funding for the project from the UK Seafood Infrastructure Fund was submitted in January 2023, to support an improvement to the wider infrastructure in the Harbour, but was not successful.
The original allocation of grant to this project was £3.918m but this was reduced last year with funding moved to the Ramsgate Port and infrastructure project.
The original plan was to create a site for the local fishing fleet where they could unload, freeze, store and process their catch. With the ability to process fish and seafood on site the fishing fleet would have been able to increase their income from each catch.
A scheme was developed jointly with the Thanet Fishermen’s Association (TFA). During Autumn 2023, following a period of engagement with the council, design team and the TFA on size and design of the facility, the TFA confirmed that their members were unable to financially commit to the maintenance and operation of a new facility, given the current state of decline in the fishing industry in Ramsgate.
Thanet council says the TFA then put forward proposals for smaller scale improvements including better refrigeration, ice making facilities and fencing, requiring the smaller £100k budget.
Margate Main Sands new public toilet facilities
Plans have been approved for the construction of two new buildings to house accessible toilet and baby changing facilities at Margate Main Sands. The development will link to the existing underground toilets on Marine Drive, which have been closed for a number of years.
The new buildings will be located at promenade level. They will be constructed above the existing toilets, which will be refurbished. The buildings will be finished to match the nearby beachside kiosk. The new buildings will be fully accessible.
Cabinet approved the proposal in September 2024. The contract for these works has an estimated value of £358k. It is anticipated that works will start this year and the new toilets are expected to open ahead of the summer season in 2026.
Margate Creative Land Trust
The Margate Creative Land Trust was set up in 2022, with £6.9m funding from the Margate Town Deal. The Trust aims to tackle the challenges that the local property market presents to creative businesses, and to people looking to take their first steps into a creative career.
The Land Trust, which was the first project to receive funding under the Town Deal scheme- was set up to provide physical workspace at affordable rates for creative individuals and businesses, such as those working in design, music, publishing, architecture, film, gaming, crafts, visual arts, fashion, TV and radio, advertising, literature, computer games and the performing arts.
It has now bought the former St George’s Garage site in Cliftonville which will be transformed into a mixed-use studio space.
The ambition is to refurbish the Harold Road building as a mixed-use studio space for businesses in the creative sector.
The garage has a footprint of over 30,000 square feet. The site includes three industrial units and forecourt, with a two-storey street facing building.
After inviting several practices to bid for the opportunity, Architects IF DO have been commissioned to lead the design for the first phase of work and meanwhile uses, having delivered similarly complex and ambitious schemes in Hastings, Manchester and London.
In 2020 an application had been made to knock down the mock Tudor building and create 41 flats and four houses at the site. The proposal was later withdrawn. In 2023 the freehold for the site was being marketed for £2,250,000.
Margate Winter Gardens and Port of Ramsgate infrastructure
Reports outlining recommendations for the Margate Winter Gardens and the Port of Ramsgate Infrastructure Project will be presented to Cabinet for consideration in spring 2025.
Margate Winter Gardens
In December Thanet council said it was “in detailed external discussions” over the future of Margate Winter Gardens.
The talks came on the heels of a marketing exercise to identify an operator for the venue.
The Winter Gardens has been shut since August 2022, when Your Leisure – the company which managed it – handed its lease back to the council.
The lease hand back came after Your Leisure faced a substantial shortfall in its income as a result of Covid with trading income down by £1.28million in 2020 compared to 2019 and outstanding liabilities in the region of £8m in terms of loans for Hartsdown and Ramsgate leisure centres.
The council, as guarantor for the leisure centre loans, could have faced extra penalties if the loans were redeemed early.
The council originally allocated £300,000 to undertake surveys and marketing of the historic concert hall – built in 1911 – looking for companies to take over its management.
The funding, from the £22.2m Margate Town Deal, was then boosted by another £4m allocation which had been earmarked for the Dreamland Cinema until owners LN-Gaiety said they did not want the funds.
The original Town Deal bid for the Winter Gardens had been for £4 million but government requested a long term plan and at that time the council did not have a proposal with a potential operator/partner and so the bid was changed to £300,000 for the structural surveys and related reports.
The £4m now allocated to the scheme is to be offered as “seed investment” to make the building more attractive to possible operators.
It is hoped this will help with the millions needed to make the theatre fit for the future.
At least £6 million, probably more, is needed to bring the building up to scratch.
Any new operator will be expected to refurbish, improve, maintain and operate the venue for uses that could include a concert hall, theatre, event spaces or leisure and tourism uses.
Port of Ramsgate
Last month the search for an operator for the Port of Ramsgate ended with no contract being awarded.
A multi-stage procurement process began in August 2024, with the aim of attracting an operator who would be responsible for running a substantial part of the Port of Ramsgate, including 17.8 acres of port land and the two roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) ferry berths.
The ambitious scheme was intended to improve the infrastructure surrounding the berths, where the vessels are moored, to allow it to come back into use for passenger services to Europe.
Bidders were invited via an open procurement process to submit an initial tender for consideration. Despite a successful initial tender stage in November, the council has been unable to take discussions beyond the dialogue stage and has not offered a contract via this process.
Initially £3.5 million was allocated for improved port infrastructure but an additional £4.12m funding was transferred to the scheme last year following a report to councillors outlining how port infrastructure work is likely to need £14m, far exceeding the £3.5 allocation for site clearance and remediation; improved breakwater and new berthing infrastructure.
he Port Infrastructure project includes the refurbishment of berths 2 and 3, and land based works needed to support ro-ro ferry operations, including facilities for UK Border Force.
The additional funding was taken from projects to improve fishing facilities and funds set aside for an overnight accommodation project at the Sailors’ Church/Smack Boys Home.
The Port of Ramsgate hosted scheduled cross channel operations between 1981 and 2013. More recently the port hosted the ad hoc arrival of trade car vessels from Zeebrugge until 2020. Although there are currently no cross channel services from Ramsgate, the port remains open with established wind farm and aggregates operations based there.
Thanet council says it will continue to explore the options for establishing a port operator concession and will renew discussions with government about potential funding opportunities now the agreed procurement process has ended.
East Thanet MP Polly Billington said the search for a port operator should continue and she pledged to take the issue to the Transport Minister to see what more could be done.
Thanet council Conservative members say it is now time to ensure all options are still on the table and to develop an alternative vision which is deliverable, and in the best interests of the people of Thanet.
They add: “This could be a mixed-use redevelopment incorporating marine and maritime related services and activities with substantial employment and training opportunities, and the attendant financial and social benefits to this community.”
Awaiting updates for:
Theatre Royal and 19 Hawley Square
Theatre Royal Margate, which is included in this year’s Theatres at Risk Register, was allocated £2.2m in March 2021 from Margate Town Deal’s £22.2m funding.
Since then, a new plan to create a nationally significant performing arts hub in Margate has been created, focusing on the Theatre Royal’s 245 years of history.
Last year it was agreed to reallocate £2.8m of Margate Town Deal funding from a highways and public realm project to the refurbishment of the theatre.
Initial designs presented by Nick Lee Evans, a Specialist Conservation Architect from Lee Evans Partnership, showed an extension to the Addington Street theatre building, widened pavement, reinstated signage and a new box office entrance.
For the five floor building in Hawley Square designs show rehearsal space in the basement; on the ground floor plans show a studio theatre for 50 people, sound studio, green room, bar and coffee area; first floor plan show offices, meeting spaces and a roof garden and, on the two upper floors, accommodation for the theatre companies.
The 19 Hawley Square venue, which was believed to have historically been The London Hotel, will also have offices and accommodation for touring theatre companies.
A projected reopening date is May 2027.
Cliftonville Skate Park
Last year councillors agreed to allocate a further £350,000 for a skatepark planned at the former putting green at Ethelbert Terrace in Cliftonville.
The project, which is part of the £22.2m Margate Town Deal, has funding of £984,000 including £59,000 match funding from the council and there is also £100,000 from artist Tracey Emin in addition to the agreed £350,000.
The aim is for the skatepark site to be free to use for skaters of all levels as well as regenerating the former putting green area. There are also plans for new public toilets and a refreshment kiosk.
In a change to previous plans the skatepark, kiosk and toilets, will remain under the Thanet council for management, maintenance and repair instead of these responsibilities being shouldered by Margate Skateboard Club CIC.
Instead the CIC, headed up by Skate Pharm’s Nic Powley and Dan Cates, is expected to have an “ appropriate agreement to enable them to use the skatepark to build community cohesion, engagement, participation and link local communities to health activities.”
Walpole Bay
Walpole Bay is set for a makeover including a new café as part of the Margate Town Deal.
A key part of this is the restoration of the “Cliff Lift” from Queen’s Promenade at the top of the cliffs down to the beach.
The Grade II-listed art deco lift was originally built by the Ministry of Health in 1934 to encourage people to use the beach.
But the ailing installation has been closed and left to wrack and ruin for about six years, Thanet District Council’s (TDC) documents say.
Last October TDC’s planning committee gave permission to allow the renovation works to begin.
The carriage and handrails will be replaced and the top entrance will be refurbished to “enable the reopening of the lift.”
A new light is also to be installed at the sea level, near the Walpole Bay tidal pool.
The Access Walpole scheme also includes a pavilion and café at the beach level, hosting facilities including changing rooms, outdoor showers, lockers, store rooms, toilets and a bookable “wellbeing space”.
This includes improvements to the tidal pool.
Newington Community Hub and Thanet council’s Broad Street property
The projects are both part of Ramsgate’s £19.8m Levelling Up Fund and the £2.7m Future High Street Fund regeneration programmes.
The Newington Community Hub will provide improved facilities with an extension to house a larger kitchen and a community garden. The new kitchen will allow the Newington Community Association to expand its popular food and cookery programme.
There will also be new double glazed windows, upgrades to electric fittings and thermal upgrades such as new internal roof and wall insulation, a new sustainable heating system and ventilation improvements.
The new, single storey teaching kitchen is designed to host up to 24 children or 16 adults at any one time. During fair weather activity will spill into the courtyard garden.
The training kitchen and space for people seeking job and training opportunities will be headed up by community chef Mike Spackman who works with Newington Community Association to share food, cooking and health skills with residents.
The 5a Broad Street property – the former haberdashery shop- will be refurbished to provide workspace in Ramsgate town centre that is tailored for creative and third sector businesses. The facility will also be home to a new skills and careers hub.
Scrapped
A proposed Sailors Church/Smack Boy scheme earmarked the buildings for a training hotel and restaurant.
However, the scheme was deemed unviable last year.
Thanet council leader Cllr Rick Everitt said: “The regeneration funding that the council has been successful in securing for Margate and Ramsgate, will make significant improvements not just to the two towns, but to the wider district.
“Cllr Ruth Duckworth, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Property, and I are both very optimistic about the impact that these projects will have on the two towns and the wider district.
“The range of projects will improve the lives of residents with broader employment opportunities in exciting, forward-looking industries, through the Margate Digital centre.
“The Pathfinder scheme in Ramsgate has the potential to bring new jobs in the maritime sector, through the Green Campus. The Clock House and Harbour Placemaking schemes will redefine the Royal Harbour area, with new facilities for local people and visitors to the town.
“This is an exciting time for the district. A lot of hard work and planning has taken place behind the scenes to get us to this point, but we’re now starting to see tangible progress with planning applications submitted and contractors on site.”
