Ramsgate – Heritage Action Zone
Ramsgate was designated as a Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) in April of 2017. The HAZ partnership team includes Historic England, Thanet District Council, Ramsgate Town Council, the Ramsgate Coastal Community Team and the Ramsgate Society. The team is working on a range of projects over 5 years to engage with the local community and organisations to understand what makes the heritage in Ramsgate really special, to share the findings and stories, and to protect and improve Ramsgate’s heritage for the future.
We published the Ramsgate Conservation Area Appraisal document on Monday 4 April 2022, following adoption by full Council on Thursday 31 March 2022. This is the culmination of a project to identify what should be preserved and enhanced in the Ramsgate Conservation Area, as well as proposals for its future management.
The project was funded by Historic England as part of the Ramsgate Heritage Action Zone, and delivered in partnership with the council. Alan Baxter Ltd produced the final report which incorporates the invaluable survey work carried out by community volunteers. A six-week public consultation was held to ensure that the viewpoints and ideas of local residents and businesses were considered.
The appraisal sets out the special historic and architectural significance of the conservation area and suggests areas for change. It also includes a chapter focusing on climate change, and is one of the first of its kind to include climate considerations and will serve as a model for other places facing similar issues. It will be used together with other planning policy documents to guide decisions on future development and will be another positive legacy of the Ramsgate Heritage Action Zone scheme.
You can view the final documents here:
- Ramsgate Conservation Area Appraisal document
- Conservation Area Owners’ Guidance document
- View the recording of the Ramsgate Conservation Area Appraisal Online Briefing Meeting, held virtually on Wednesday 8 December 2021.
Conservation Areas
Conservation areas exist to protect the special architectural and historic interest of a place. Their special character and appearance warrant an additional level of planning control through a conservation area designation.
Section 69.2 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 places a duty on local planning authorities to review their conservation areas in order to justify their future status, and make amendments to boundaries where considered necessary.
The Ramsgate Conservation Area Appraisal will help us better understand its character and significance and will help establish a strong basis for future management and decision making.
PermalinkResearch Projects
Historic England has carried out a series of research projects that are helping the HAZ partnership team to understand the history and heritage of Ramsgate.
Read more about the Historic England research projects
Heritage Schools Programme
The Heritage Schools Programme, funded by the Department for Education and run by Historic England, has been supporting Ramsgate schools to create learning experiences for pupils using local heritage.
Read more about the Heritage Schools Programme
Repairs to the Pulhamite at Albion Gardens
In 2021 the HAZ partnership was successful in securing a Historic England Emergency Repair grant (£25,000) to fix at risk sections of the Pulhamite at Albion Gardens, Madeira Walk. The site was repaired by specialist conservators and a training day was provided for the local community to understand the repair process and experience live repairs on site.
View the Pulhamite rock gardens leaflet (PDF 8.6mb)
Repairs to the Clock House
In 2021 the HAZ partnership led by the Ramsgate Society was successful in securing a Historic England Emergency Repair Grant (£22,000) for urgent repairs to the Clock House roof including loose stone work around the clock tower and leaks in the roof.
HAZ Podcast Series
The HAZ podcast series, created in partnership with the Ramsgate Festival of Sound, Ramsgate Radio and Historic England, aims to bring to life the HAZ research undertaken in Ramsgate, uncovering the stories and lived experience of the town and particularly its clifftop promenades and seafront. These podcasts are designed as ‘sonic trails’ / ‘sound walks’ and comprise three episodes.
Listen to the Heritage Action Zone podcast series
Kent Steps Public Realm Project
Kent Steps, which connects Harbour Parade (seafront) with Madeira Walk, were embellished with colourful tiles designed by local school children and inspired by the tile design of Augustus Pugin. The Kent Steps Public Realm Project was carried out as part of the Ramsgate HAZ Programme in partnership with the Ramsgate Town Team.
Ramsgate Pioneering Places Project
The HAZ partnership supported the Ramsgate Pioneering Places Project, one of sixteen places across England to receive a significant investment as part of the £20million Lottery funded Great Place Scheme, a partnership between Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Historic England.
The Great Place Scheme is an ambitious project aiming to make East Kent an even better place to live, work and visit by exploring heritage, developing civic pride and connecting artists and communities.
The Ramsgate project was led by Turner Contemporary working with 60 children aged 6 to 12, from two Ramsgate primary schools: Ramsgate Arts Primary School and St Laurence Junior Academy.
The Young Arts and Heritage Leaders selected and commissioned Conrad Shawcross to create a new artwork for Ramsgate ‘Beacons’ which is situated on Ramsgate’s East Cliff seafront.
Read more about Historic England’s regeneration programme across England
Photo Credits
- Clock Tower Scaffolding – Credit John Walker
- All other photos – Credit Louisa Hrabowy
Seafront Placemaking is the final project as part of the Ramsgate Heritage Action Zone, focusing on Ramsgate’s seafront from West to East Cliffs and along the seafront promenades. It explores the past, present and future of the seafront, looking at the values that created it, and recording what Ramsgate seafront means to the local community today and for the future.
A mixture of online and in person workshops, discussions and debate have taken place alongside community surveys, with activities including exploring Ramsgate seafront in art, schools events, community engagement sessions and future planning workshops.
Members of the public have uploaded their favourite photographs of Ramsgate to a project website with interactive map.
Seafront Placemaking runs until June 2022 and will culminate with a Statement of Heritage Significance for the seafront prepared in partnership with the community. There will also be a final report which will include summary findings, and recommendations of how to protect the heritage values for the future.
Read more in our newsroom.
PermalinkRelated news
The council has been successful in its bid for Ramsgate to be selected as a High Streets Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ), a scheme funded by Historic England.
Commenting on the Government announcement that an additional 50 towns will benefit from the £1 billion Future High Streets Fund–
Nine of Ramsgate’s historic gems – from a 1950s Festival of Britain fountain to an octagonal seafront newspaper kiosk and a former 19th century wine merchants – have been granted listed status by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)