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The development of Thanet’s culture is very different to many other areas in the UK.
The Council owns the foreshores, seafront promenades, beaches and bays and harbours in each of the three main towns, along with more traditional assets, such as museums and concert halls. This means that the Council has ownership of an unusually high level of property and land, putting budgetary pressure on the authority.
The Thanet coast, together with Pegwell Bay, is internationally important for wintering birds and marine life, associated with the chalk reefs, caves and sandy bays. They form part of a larger area, consisting of several international nature conservation designations – two Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), one Special Protected Area (SPA) and a site designated under the RAMSAR convention. Collectively this area is known as the “North East Kent European marine sites.”
The Thanet Coast Project was established to raise awareness of this important coastline, work with people to safeguard wildlife and to run wildlife related events or activities. They have been extremely successful with their year round programme of events, which attract around 3,000 people each year. They also organise educational activities with community groups, businesses and schools to reach another 5,000 people annually. One of their flagship projects has been to establish a Thanet Coastal Warden Scheme, which more than 100 volunteers acting as the “eyes and ears” of the coastline.
Thanet is fortunate to have 136 hectares of parks and open spaces, a figure which exceeds the government’s minimum standards. Surveys show that the vast majority of people feel the parks in Thanet meet the needs of their family. However, the Open Space and Indoor Sport Audit identified that Thanet has below the national recommended level of semi natural and natural open space, such as woodland.
Indoor sports provision in Thanet needs urgent attention, with plans already in place for the replacement of Ramsgate Swimming Pool and the refurbishment of Hartsdown Leisure Centre. The area has also a relatively new facility, the Ramsgate Sports Centre, which includes a sports hall, available for 5-a-side football, basketball, badminton and table tennis, along with a fitness studio and spa suite.
There is a good range of football, cricket and rugby pitches in Thanet, with Margate and Ramsgate Football Clubs both in the Ryman Premier Division. Thanet Wanderers RUFC is based at St. Peter’s Recreation Ground in Broadstairs and is currently competing in London League 1.
In consideration of the PPG 17 report on future provision of sports facilities in Thanet, the Council in partnership with Sport England to ensure better provision of tennis courts locally.
With the highest density of listed buildings in Kent, Thanet’s buildings showcase the area’s rich heritage. The Council is actively working to ensure that the existing Conservation Areas are protected for future generations.
Thanet’s history is also covered by a range of diverse museums. The Dickens House Museum in Broadstairs contains Dickens memorabilia, prints and costumes, while the town’s Crampton Tower Museum pays tribute to Thomas Crampton, who designed locomotives and railways, with working drawings, models and artefacts from his life.
Ramsgate Maritime Museum explores the maritime heritage of the area from ancient times to the present day and Margate’s history from Iron Age to the 1960’s is the focus of Margate Museum. Whilst the current use of museums requires a review of their operation and value for money, there still needs to be a high quality museum offering in Thanet for its large collections (including the display of archaeological finds), and enhanced access to this using IT and on line archiving.
In the villages, Quex Museum has a world class collection of objects and animals from Africa and Asia, arranged in stunning diorama. The RAF Manston History Museum looks at the development of the famous airfield from 1916 to the present day.
Thanet is home to the second oldest theatre in the country, the Theatre Royal Margate, which is supported by pubic sector funding. Other significant performance venues in the area are the Granville Theatre in Ramsgate, the Pavilion in Broadstairs and the Winter Gardens in Margate.
The area also has a vibrant music scene, with the Broadstairs Folk Week attracting thousands to the town each August, supplemented by successful Jazz Festivals and live music in Margate and Ramsgate during the summer months. The area also has an annual Music and Drama Festival, held each spring.
Plans for Turner Contemporary form a major part of the regeneration focus for Margate, with the new gallery likely to be a catalyst for further developments in the town. Internationally renowned David Chipperfields Architects Ltd., recently awarded the Stirling Prize, the most prestigious award in architecture, have been appointed to design the gallery, which will celebrate JMW Turner, who was a regular visitor to Margate throughout his life. More than 100 of his works, including some of his most famous seascapes, were inspired by the East Kent coastline.
The prospect of the new gallery has already made a major impact on Margate’s regeneration. A range of art galleries and niche shops are open in Margate’s emerging creative quarter in the Old Town, which is helping to regenerate part of the town, which was mainly derelict in the past. The Margate Renewal Partnership has been formed, made up of key stakeholders who have an important role to play in transforming Margate. The Partnership has already secured over £35 million, which it is investing in the town, with other work focused on the public realm and cultural activities, as part of its work to change perceptions about and raise the profile of Margate. The particular investment opportunities inherent in Margate’s regeneration within the lifespan of the Cultural Strategy have impacted significantly on the development of the action plan in section 9 and the need to reference and take advantage of this.
Planning guidance has been developed by Thanet District Council in association with the Partnership, suggesting a mixed scheme on the Dreamland site. Under the proposals, the majority of the site, including the listed Dreamland building and Scenic Railway, would be kept as part of an amusement based destination, along with an element of other development, including residential.
Perhaps one of the most important elements of Thanet’s culture is its rich supply of voluntary groups and organisations already working in culture, many of which have been involved in consultations on this Cultural Strategy. There are too many to mention here, but they play a valuable role in enhancing projects that encompass arts, sports, heritage, the coast and tourism in Thanet.
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