Margate Master Plan

This consultation ran from 22 March - 13 April 2004 and has now closed.  These pages are provided for information only.

Margate is an area with a colourful past and a rich heritage It is a town in the midst of change. Change that is necessary to meet the demands of the 21st Century.

Focusing on the town centre and seafront, the study looked at how Margate's future could be sensitively planned for and how appropriate land uses could be set out for different parts of the town. It also examined how people and traffic move in  Central Margate and put forward a series of ideas for the public to give their views on.

The Master Plan looks at how we can take the best of Margate and reshape it for the future. It is the first draft of a document that will provide the framework for the future development of our Town. Focusing on the town centre and seafront, the study looks at how the town's future could be sensitively planned for, setting out appropriate land uses for different areas. It also looks at key leisure and tourism or e-mail destinations and how people and vehicles move within Central Margate.

Public Verdict on Margate Master Plan

The results of this major public consultation process was considered by Thanet Council's Cabinet (Thursday 5 August).

The key findings of the public consultation were:

• Considerable public backing for the proposed reduction of traffic along Marine Terrace and plans for a new road behind Dreamland, but the need for further traffic studies and public consultation and to signpost onward destinations, such as the shopping in Northdown Road, Cliftonville, was highlighted.
• General support for Turner Contemporary, but lots of debate over the location and design of the building.
• Support for using the Royal Sea Bathing Hospital site for high quality housing.
• Most people recognised the importance of the Dreamland site and wanted to see the
• Council being highly proactive in seeking solutions for it.
• The public wanted to see further regeneration work being undertaken in the Old Town.

Cllr. Bob Bayford, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Regeneration and Economic Development, said: "We had an excellent response from the public to this consultation, with more than 700 written responses, highlighting how strongly people feel about the future development of Margate. We need to ensure that the Masterplan benefits the community and overall, the responses we had to it were very positive. We will now be working to develop an action plan, which takes on board the comments that people have made and we will be carrying out further public consultation, as the Masterplan develops."