Live Margate project

We are targeting problem buildings which have been derelict and unoccupied for years.  The list above shows the properties which have so far been refurbished and brought back into use for affordable rent.

Thanet District Council and Kent County Council will continue to work on this programme throughout the next 10-15 years. We hope you will start to see a progressive difference and improvement in your community and neighbourhood.

We want local people to play an important part in this programme by being involved in keeping the areas you live in respectable and as tidy as possible, making sure the pride that you have in your home is kept high, helping to keep the look and feel of your area to a high standard.

The birthplace of the British seaside has undergone a renaissance and is enjoying a surge in tourism in recent years.

Margate is benefiting from direct investment into the town. The money is being used to help transform the area into a great place to live, work and visit.

Key projects and initiatives helping to change Margate:

• Turner Contemporary
• Margate Old Town
• Dreamland
• Transport Investment
• Margate Flood and Coastal Protection Scheme
• Thanet wide regeneration

Turner Contemporary

Designed by Stirling Prize winning architects David Chipperfield, Turner Contemporary, which opened in April 2011, has spearheaded the cultural regeneration of Margate.

The gallery has already seen well over a million visitors through its doors open and has been a catalyst for further creative activity in the town.

The gallery celebrates the town’s association with JMW Turner, one of Britain’s best loved artists, and presents the best of contemporary art practice.  It hosted the Turner Prize awards in 2019.

turnercontemporary.org

Margate Old Town

Close to the gallery, the Old Town in Margate has transformed in recent years with business occupation rates rising significantly. It now boasts a unique collection of niche boutiques, galleries and award winning places to eat and drink.

The Margate Harbour Arm also boasts galleries and a cafe, bar and restaurant

The former Margate Renewal Partnership helped to promote and facilitate these improvements, which included around £2m of investment from the public sector. This levered a further £2m of investment from the private sector to deliver arts space, galleries and enhancements to the public realm.

Dreamland

Dreamland lies at the heart of Margate and for a century (marked in 2020) has been one of the UK’s best-loved amusement parks. The Dreamland Margate project emerged after several years of pioneering work by The Dreamland Trust to save Dreamland’s amusement park, its Grade II*-listed roller coaster, Grade II-listed menagerie cages and Grade II*- listed cinema building, and to celebrate this important part of Margate’s heritage.

Funded by Heritage Lottery Fund, the Government’s Sea Change programme and Thanet District Council, the Dreamland Trust is working in partnership with the Council to create a unique and quintessentially British visitor attraction: the world’s first amusement park to feature thrilling, historical rides, classic side shows, cafés, restaurants, special events, festivals, learning, creative interpretation and gardens.

The park reopened for the 2017 season following a multi-million pound makeover and was officially opened by artist Tracey Emin.

dreamlandmargate.co.uk

Transport Investment

The opening of the High Speed 1 rail service has already greatly improved the accessibility of Margate.

The journey time from St Pancras International, Central London, to Margate currently stands at 88 minutes. Proposals to enhance the Ashford to Margate line with reduce the train journey time from Thanet to central London to 60 minutes.

This will provide accessibility to the capital, making it an attractive proposition for both both businesses and commuters.

Margate Flood and Coastal Protection Scheme

Major construction work on a landmark scheme to protect Margate from flooding in the future was completed on target.

This scheme has been developed and designed to provide protection for Margate, which is at risk from flooding from the sea.

The completed scheme has a life of at least 50 years and will provide much better flood protection to the properties on Marine Drive and in the Old Town area.  The scheme will also improve the quality and amenity value of the public space on the seafront through a new series of steps which will open access from Margate Old Town directly on to the beach.

Find out more about the council’s coastal flood protection scheme in Margate

Thanet wide regeneration

Money is also being invested in regeneration across the whole of Thanet.

Selective Licensing was introduced to certain areas of Cliftonville West and Margate Central on Wednesday 12 January 2011.

The selective licensing scheme means that every residential premises which is privately let must be licensed with Thanet District Council and adhere to specific conditions, if it is within the designation area.

The scheme has been introduced to help regulate the private rented sector and ensure that residents have access to good quality, properly managed accommodation. It is also hoped to improve safety standards and has seen the introduction of tenant referencing, helping to significantly raise standards within the area.

Find out more about selective licensing

The Multi-Agency Task Force is a group that is working to improve life in Thanet.

The Task Force brings together officers from 14 different agencies and organisations that are co-located within the Thanet District Council offices. This includes:

• Thanet District Council
• Kent Police
• Kent Fire & Rescue
• Kent County Council
• Job Centre Plus

The team is distinct from other multi-agency teams as it delivers ‘front end’ fast-track interventions jointly at street level on a ‘day in, day out’ basis.

The Task Force aims to promote a better quality of life in the community. By working across a number of agencies it also aims to transform the way public services are delivered to make them responsive, visible and joined up.

Their work has been recognised with the Task Force awarded the prestigious Collaboration Award at the inaugural national Fighting Fraud Awards held in London in December 2012.

The core strategic objective is to achieve Public Service Transformation; driving the Localism agenda whilst achieving:

• Greater cost efficiency savings
• Improved effectiveness
• Improved responsiveness
• Reduced levels of bureaucracy
• Increased positive outcomes for all agencies and communities

Broader objectives focus on:

• Designing and delivering housing intervention
• Providing stimulus to work and skills
• Tackling extreme health and mental health inequalities
• Actively educating about, challenging and reducing: –

Note.  The above focuses on movements into specific areas presenting multiple risks and vulnerabilities

In terms of targeted policing the focus is on jointly:

• Tackling Drugs (Heroin, Crack Cocaine, Amphetamine Based, MDMA) and Alcohol Related Violent Crime
• Identifying and reducing Sexual Exploitation (Young Children), Human Trafficking and Bonded Service
• Improving ‘Team Locality’ robust interventions