Arlington planning brief approved
Proposals to improve the Arlington site along Margate seafront
have been approved by members of Thanet District Council.
A planning brief for the site, which proposed a mixed use scheme
including residential, retail and commercial elements, was given
overwhelming support by local people during a recent public
consultation.
This included a well attended question and answer session with
Arlington House residents, two “drop-in” sessions, where members of
the public could view details of the planning brief and discuss
their concerns with council officers.
More than 50 people completed a survey, giving their views on
the planning brief. Of those, 90% of people either strongly agreed
or agreed with it. Of the individual proposals put forward in the
brief, the most overwhelming support was for exterior improvements
to Arlington House, with 94% in favour of this measure. More than
90% agreed with plans for new shops and cafes facing the seafront,
while over 85% of those who responded agreed with the idea of
creating easier access around the town through improved pedestrian
and cycle links and a new road link along the railway line between
All Saints Avenue and Eaton Road.
Following the consultation, which also included expert
organisations, such as the Environment Agency, Natural England,
English Heritage and the owners of both the Arlington and Dreamland
sites, a number of changes were made to the planning brief to
reflect the opinions given.
Cllr. Roger Latchford, Cabinet Member for Culture and Economy,
said: “The approval of this planning brief highlights the
importance that the council places on the Arlington site. Having
already got the planning brief in place for the neighbouring
Dreamland site, it was clear that the next site we needed to look
at was Arlington. We’ve now completed that process and had an
excellent response from local people, who were very supportive of
our plans. These two planning briefs should now help to guide
development in the future on a large and prominent part of Margate
seafront.”
ENDS