Get Involved

The Theatre Royal, located in the heart of Margate, was first constructed in 1787. The current building is Grade II* listed and retains its Victorian interior which dates from 1874. The Theatre Royal is the UK’s second oldest working theatre and is of national  significance. It was listed in 1955 and in 2018, it was added to the Theatre Trust’s At Risk Register.

The new vision is to combine the Theatre Royal and 19 Hawley Square. These places have a long and shared history. They will be preserved, restored and modernised, with the aim of  creating a performing arts hub in Margate. The aim is to establish a circular theatre economy to promote performing arts and create a supportive environment to:

• Provide opportunities for young people to get involved in performing arts and creative careers

• Attract local, national, and international performances and events

• Create theatre productions featuring professional and local actors to be enjoyed by audiences worldwide

The new vision for the Theatre Royal focuses on heritage, performance and financial sustainability. 19 Hawley Square will be developed into a theatre production space with a bar, cafe, studio theatre, recording studio and rehearsal rooms. It will also have offices and accommodation for touring theatre companies.

The Theatre Royal project has been allocated £2.2m of Margate Town Deal funding. The ambitious scope of the project means that we need to secure funding from external sources for the project to succeed. An application is in process for a further £3.2m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. We are talking to the Arts Council about applying for the Cultural Development Fund, which will be launched in 2024.

We are inviting both the public and potential operators to engage with the new vision and plans which can be viewed in full here.

Public feedback can be submitted until 4pm Wednesday 20 December, on Your Voice Thanet 

The operators’ feedback questionnaire can be submitted until Wednesday 24 January 2024, via our website.

To ensure you receive updates about any further engagement activity in relation to the Town Deal projects including the Theatre Royal project, you can join the Margate Town Deal mailing list.

In October 2023 we invited members of the public to learn about the regeneration projects taking place at Walpole Bay. Part of the Margate Town Deal, proposed plans include improved access, and new beach facilities.

A public drop-in session on Thursday 5 October at the Walpole Bay Hotel provided an opportunity for local residents and stakeholders to meet and engage with the council’s project team. There were boards on display showing sketches of the proposed concepts for the new beach, and wellbeing facilities. Architects and designers were on hand to answer questions and there was an opportunity to give initial feedback about some of the information on display.

Following the event, the information boards remained on display at the Walpole Bay Hotel for two weeks. This provided a chance for anyone unable to attend the event to view the boards and share their feedback. The exhibition was open daily from Monday 9 October for people to drop in between 10am and 7pm and closed on Monday 23 October.

It was also possible to submit feedback and thoughts during this period, via an online and paper survey.

There will be further opportunities for comment ahead of any designs reaching the planning stage. To ensure you receive updates about any further engagement activity in relation to the Town Deal projects including Walpole Bay, you can join the Margate Town Deal mailing list.

You can also view the exhibition boards here:

General Town Deal and Access Walpole Bay project boards

Testing new uses project – new beach facilities

For further information about this engagement activity visit the project page on the council’s engagement platform Your Voice Thanet.

In 2020 the first phase of community and local engagement focused on developing a shared vision and understanding priorities for change. Responses to Margate Town Deal questionnaires, face to face and digital events were analysed as part of the evidence required in the development of the Margate Town Investment Plan. The information gathered through this engagement as well as statistical data about Margate’s residents, businesses and stakeholders was used to help define the Town Investment Plan and inform selection of projects.

• View the Summary of Findings infographic
• View the full Engagement Summary Report

If you need either of these reports in an alternative format please contact us.

Thanet’s success in securing over £40m of capital investment from central government through the Levelling Up Fund and Towns Fund means there are a wide range of projects to be delivered across the district by March 2026. It is important that local suppliers and contractors are aware of the opportunities this brings for their businesses. The council and its partners are using a number of different procurement routes for the design and delivery of the Town Deal schemes in Margate.

We would like to make opportunities to get involved with the Town Deal projects accessible to local suppliers where possible. This page provides information on where we advertise work for consultants and contractors, as well as some of our current opportunities.

For general enquiries, please contact the Margate Town Deal project team: margate-town-deal@thanet.gov.uk

London Construction Programme (LCP) Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS)

We are a member of the London Construction Programme (LCP) Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS), managed by the London Borough of Haringey. It allows suppliers of all sizes to sign up and submit proposals and quotations for Thanet District Council and other public sector procurements free of charge, subject to standard due diligence checks.

Sign up to the LCP DPS to find out more about our projects.

Alternatively, you can contact the LCP direct at lcp@haringey.gov.uk who are able to assist suppliers with on boarding to the DPS.

The Kent Business Portal

The Kent Business Portal is used to advertise local authority opportunities in Kent.

You can sign up free of charge to the Kent Business Portal.

We are not currently looking to build the Panel numbers and are therefore closed to new applications. In any future call out, members of the public who apply will be selected at random to broadly represent the wider population. Anyone who lives or works in Margate could apply for the Panel with the exception of the following:

• Members of decision making / strategic team at Thanet District Council or Kent County Council;
• Political representative e.g. an MP, Councillor, Mayor or Charter Trustee;
• Senior official for a community group or organisation or Town Deal stakeholder (including those who have applied for funding from the Town Deal).

To ensure the panel is representative, the online application form asks for demographic details and applications are anonymised. During any application process and a random sample will be selected on the basis of the Margate’s demographic profile. This is to ensure that the panel reflects the community.

A People’s Panel is an innovative democratic tool used all over the world. It brings together a randomly selected group of people who broadly represent the wider population. Those who attend learn about important issues, discuss them with one another and then put forward ideas about what should happen and how things could change. People’s Panels are used by statutory agencies to identify local priorities and to engage people on specific issues.

In terms of the role of the panel, one way to think about it is “making it Margate”. Alongside a wider programme of community engagement, panel members will help to ensure the drivers for change and evidence of need reflect the perspectives of local people. The proposals for the Town Investment Plan will draw on learnings from other towns and cities from around the globe, but there is no place like Margate so working with the panel will enable the Town Deal Board to ensure it is “making it Margate.” The panel’s purpose is to be a ‘critical friend’ and ensure that the evidence collected informs the Board and helps it make decisions that reflect the Margate you live and work in.

The People’s Panel is not itself a decision making body, so the membership will not be made public. Its role is to help the Board understand public opinions and put forward ideas for consideration

The Margate Town Deal People’s Panel is a mechanism for the Margate Town Deal Board to engage with local people and benefit from your knowledge, ideas and issues to inform decision making. The People’s Panel will last the length of the Town Deal (around 5 years) and your involvement is likely to include taking part in events, meetings and completing questionnaires. You can be a member of the panel for as long as you wish but you can also leave at any time. It is vital that members of the Panel Play an active role, and meet a minimum contribution in terms of input, in order to retain their place on the panel. Therefore if you do not participate in three consecutive activities (without asking to be excused) you will be asked to leave the panel.

The membership of the People’s Panel will not be made public. You can let people know you are a member should you so wish and the topics that the panel is discussing and debating. A standing agenda item for all panel meetings will be communications which will clarify, in the unlikely event, if there is any information you cannot share publicly. Membership of the panel will be revoked if a member publicly shares any information they have been instructed not to share.

All Margate Town Deal People’s Panel members will:

Respect each other

Panel members may not always agree and may have differences in opinion, but members will always listen to and value each other’s ideas, viewpoints, ideas and concerns. In all interactions and communications panel members will be respectful and create a shared space to debate and consider the merits of different opinions. Discussion should be constructive, positive and seek to build consensus, with panel members taking the time to listen to and consider all opinions equally

Speak Honestly and Openly but Courteously

There will be times when panel members disagree and have differences of opinion. Members must be able to speak honestly and openly when discussing the Margate Town Deal. It is important that these conversations are respectful, with panel members being empowered to say what they think in the knowledge that they will be listened to. This honesty extends to declaring potential conflicts of interest. All panel members must complete a Register of Interests. If your interests change or if you become aware of any other conflicts of interest you must inform the Margate Town Deal Board in writing.

Appreciate a Wide Range of Perspectives

Every panel member will have a different perspective, different ideas and different concerns. Discussions are not about winning an argument but about exploring ideas to make the Margate Town Deal better. Members should trust each other and listen to all ideas, comments and concerns that come from other members.

The following behaviours are not acceptable and will result in expulsion from the Panel:

Violence or Threats of Violence

On or offline violence or threats of violence against panel members is unacceptable. This includes posting or threatening to post other people’s personal information (“doxxing”) online.

Personal Attacks

Open and honest discussion can lead to conflicts and frustrations. This should never cross the line and become personal attacks, either during panel meetings or through social media and other platforms. It is important to question and query other people’s ideas and perspectives, but it is not acceptable to insult, demean or belittle other members of the Panel.

Hurtful or Harmful Language

Hurtful or harmful language related to the following is not acceptable:

• Background
• Family status
• Gender
• Gender identity or expression
• Marital status
• Sex
• Sexual orientation
• Native language
• Age
• Ability
• Race and/or ethnicity
• Caste
• National origin
• Socioeconomic status
• Religion
• Geographic location
• Other attributes

Panel members should avoid using derogatory language. If you are unsure if a word is hurtful or harmful, do not use it.

Disruptive Behaviour

Panel meetings will be honest and open discussions, which may result in differences of opinion. However, sustained disruption of meetings, presentations and talks, including talking over or heckling other panel members or speakers. will not be tolerated.

Influencing Unacceptable Behaviour

Influencing or leading unacceptable behaviour among other panel members or members of the wider community, will be treated the same way as the activities themselves and result in expulsion from the panel

If you believe that you or a member of the Panel is in breach of the above please report it to margate-town-deal@thanet.gov.uk.

Each case will be reviewed by the Director of Regeneration, and next steps determined based on the evidence available. If a Panel Member is found to be in violation of the behaviour and expectations outlined in this document they will be expelled.