Urgent Works Notice
A notice has been served by Thanet District Council to ensure
that a fence is put in place to protect Margate’s Scenic Railway,
the country’s oldest rollercoaster, until it is repaired.
The Urgent Works Notice has been served on the Margate Town
Centre Regeneration Company, the owners of Dreamland. It requires
them to put up a continuous 2.4 metre high steel fence around the
entirety of the listed structure.
The Notice has been served today (Monday 28 July) and, if it is
not complied with within two weeks from the date it is served, then
the council will, using planning powers send contractors into the
site to erect the fence. The council will then recover the cost of
this work from the site owners.
The move follows the fire, which broke out in early April 2008,
destroying approximately 20% of the tracks of the Scenic Railway,
the workshop where the cars were housed and part of the “station”.
The ride first opened in 1920 and was the first amusement park ride
to be Grade II listed in 2002.
Leader of Thanet District Council, Cllr. Sandy Ezekiel, said:
“Although the council is still in ongoing discussions with the
owners of the site, we believe it’s absolutely essential that
measures are taken to preserve the Scenic Railway until repairs
begin. We feel that we have given this enough time since the fire
broke out and still there is no fencing in place to protect this
unique historic asset. The time has come for us to take action and
that’s what we’re doing with the issuing of this Urgent Works
Notice. If the work is not completed within the next two weeks,
then we will be sending in people to do this work. That’s how
important this is to us.”
ENDS