Public inquiry starts into Dreamland purchase
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by Nisha Chopra
A public inquiry starts today into the
proposed buy-out of one of Margate's most iconic landmarks.
Thanet council wants to buy Dreamland
on the seafront and develop it into a major attraction.
But the authority doesn't own the site
and says it has been forced into putting a
Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) on the building.
The former venue has been
vacant and unused for the past five years.
Thanet council wants to convert the
decaying site into the world's first heritage amusement park
featuring historic rides.
But the site owners, Margate Town Centre Regeneration
Company, are said to have their own ideas of how the site can
be revamped into a major tourism hotspot again - with talk about
building houses.
The public inquiry starting today will
investigate plans for the compulsory purchase order.
Mike Nuttall, from the Dreamland
Trust, said: "It is like a court hearing and it’s for the Dreamland
Trust and Thanet District Council to present their case on why this
is such a strategically important destination, and it is an
opportunity for the other party to present their case."
A decision is expected by the
Secretary of State in May or June.
Monday, January 09 2012
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