Focus on Margate

Margate had a starring role on national TV in the popular series The Apprentice, with the candidates asked to re-brand the town, which was the country's first coastal resort.

There's already a great deal going on in Margate, with the town’s regeneration programme.  Originally led by the Margate Renewal Partnership, it was made up of key players in both the public and private sectors and worked towards creating a vibrant town that built on Margate’s unique historic pedigree. The Margate of the future will both recognise and celebrate its past - as Britain’s first seaside resort - and pioneer contemporary cultural thinking and experiences. Visit www.thisismargate.co.uk

The new international art gallery, the Turner Contemporary designed by prize winning Architect David Chipperfield, opened on the seafront in April 2011, builds on the town's links with Turner, who was a regular visitor to Margate during his life.

Margate Old Town, next to the gallery, has received significant public investment in the last ten years and its historic buildings house independent galleries, ‘niche’ shops, cafes and restaurants. This concentration on culture led to Margate being named amongst the top 20 most creative towns in the country and in the top 10 towns of 2007 to watch in the future.

In recent years, the emphasis has been – and continues to be – on preserving the character of this popular seaside destination. To help achieve that, a funding bid was submitted to the Government’s Sea Change Programme to help create a theme park focussing on thrilling historic amusement park rides. The park, at Dreamland on Margate’s seafront, will focus on preserving, interpreting and giving people the chance of direct enjoyment of, amusement park rides, many of which are unique historic survivals. It will also mark and celebrate popular seaside culture.

Central to the park will be the fully restored Scenic Railway of 1920, the oldest roller coaster in the United Kingdom and a Grade II listed structure. The project will transform Dreamland, a place of popular entertainment since the 1860s, into a striking and unique 21st Century attraction.

The council also sees events as a key way of attracting new visitors and developing the area’s reputation.

Alongside events, Margate is a popular tourist destination, with many visitors flocking here for the town's beautiful beach. Margate Main Sands holds the Quality Coast Award and is frequently praised by visitors for its cleanliness and beauty.

Margate is located in East Kent, just over an hour's drive from the outskirts of London. Thanet District Council serves the towns of Broadstairs, Margate, Ramsgate and surrounding villages, providing an array of services to over 127,000 residents.

See www.thisismargate.co.uk

Press Office

E-mail:

press.office
@thanet.gov.uk 

Tel: 01843 577034