Dreamland project receives £385k Lottery grant
by Martin Jefferies
Exciting plans to build the world's first heritage amusement
park in Margate have taken a major step forward.
The Dreamland Trust has been given £384,500 by the Heritage
Lottery Fund to kick start the ground-breaking project.
The move - which does not guarantee any further funding - shows
that Lottery officials believe the project meets their criteria and
has to the potential to succeed and deliver value for money.
Campaigners now plan to submit a full application for the £2.65
million of Lottery support they are seeking for phase one of the
project in early 2010.
Susan Marsh, honorary secretary of The Dreamland Trust, said:
"We will now work up detailed plans to ensure that we deliver this
unique new visitor attraction in the heart of Margate, providing a
major boost for the tourism economy and giving the people of
Margate what they have so long wished for - a revitalised
Dreamland."
The new amusement park would see some of the UK's oldest rides
resurrected alongside iconic Margate landmarks including the Scenic
Railway and the Dreamland cinema, both of which are listed
buildings.
Entry to the park and landscaped gardens will be free of charge,
with wristbands being sold for those who want to experience the
rides.
The Dreamland Trust said the park would create "considerable
employment opportunities for local people" and attract up to
700,000 people every year.
Friday, July 24 2009