Tourist expert's Dreamland doubts
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by Martin Jefferies
An expert who has worked for some of the world's top tourist
attractions has cast doubt on plans to build a heritage amusement
park in Margate.
Michael Collins was giving evidence at a public inquiry into
Thanet District Council's bid to compulsorily purchase the
Dreamland site on the seafront.
Mr Collins - who has worked with SeaWorld, the Tussauds Group
and Warner Bros - described plans for a retro theme park as
"exciting".
But he warned the number of people who would visit every year
would be far less than the 350,000 predicted by Thanet council,
which has developed the plans alongside Dreamland Trust.
Speaking on behalf of Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company
(MTCRC), which owns the land, he said an operating loss was "more
likely" than a profit. He added a subsidy, possibly from the public
sector, could be needed to keep the park running.
Mr Collins, a consultant at Leisure Development Partners, said
the park could expect around 200,000 visitors a year - most of
whom would buy a £12 all-day wristband, rather than spend more on
tokens for individual rides, as proposed by the council.
Most rides planned for the amusement park "have been phased out
of other parks because people weren't riding them anymore", he
claimed.
The council's barrister, Martin Edwards, said Mr Collins'
predictions needed to be backed up by "hard data".
He also disagreed with Mr Collins over the likely popularity of
a park built around old rides, pointing to the popularity of
Carter's Steam Fair, which visited Margate last year.
MTCRC's
plans for Dreamland differ to those of the council, in that it
wants to build homes on one part of the site.
The inquiry, which is open to residents, is being held at the
council offices in Cecil Street, Margate. It starts at 10am and
finishes at 5pm each weekday, and is expected to last until next
Friday.
Once the inquiry has finished, the planning inspector will
prepare a report for the Secretary of State, who is expected to
make a final decision in May or June.
Friday, January 13 2012
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