Roger de Haan, the former boss of the Saga holiday business, will see the next stage of the crusade to transform Folkestone into a vibrant economy this month with the Triennial Festival. This is a series of events in the town to attract visitors and instil confidence in the local population. At the heart of the programme is art, including sculpture in the streets, together with tours and exhibitions.
The first festival was three years ago and has already made an impact on the town. Now Margate, with its run down entertainment area, has joined Folkestone in the arts led marketing stakes with its Turner Contemporary Gallery. As part of this, there have been improvements to the old town of Margate to add better facilities. This process is in the early stages so it is hard to judge what will be the long term impact although experience in other parts of the UK, such as in Newcastle with the Sage Music Centre and Baltic Gallery, indicate arts can play a vital role in regeneration.
The Turner is just one aspect of the effort to change Margate. Others include regeneration at the Theatre Royal, Winter Gardens, Walpole Hotel and, in particular, the Dreamland Amusement Park. This is now subject to a compulsory purchase order by Thanet Council as part of the plans for revival of the art deco landmark.
The council wants to speed the process up because of the danger of losing the grants which have been made available for Dreamland. But the landowner, the Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company, will fight the CPO. Leader of Margate Council, Cllr. Bob Bayford, said: ”Significant funds are being invested in this project and we are not prepared to jeopardise the investment in the town. We also know how important the regeneration of Dreamland is both to local people and to Margate’s economic future. It’s a key site for the town along with Turner Contemporary and we believe what’s being planned for Dreamland will help turn Margate’s fortunes round.”
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