Re: Scenic Railway in Margate news
It's one of those chicken and egg things Marc.
Without a draw to the town, it becomes a less and less desirable place to visit. Is "putting back what was once the draw" going to turn the tide? I don't know.
I know that when we went in 2005, the beach was glorious, really, really nice. If the town hadn't been just on the bad side of the drop into decline, I would have recommended it to anyone wanting a weekend seaside holiday (like we enjoyed in Great Yarmouth last year).
However, it was all just supermarkets, £1 shops, charity shops and closed down cafes/ice cream shops/tat shops etc.
Dreamland was fine and good fun for an hour or so, and that was when it was right at the end with temporary fairground rides. It was still a "let's go to the beach, eat ice-creams and go on the fair" great day out though. When I went to Scarborough after the Yorkshire Live, the sea front was exactly like that too, and the Scarborough beach is bloody horrible.
It's worth noting that Scarborough has picked up in the last few years, and supports a small fair. I think regeneration, mixed with at-home holidays has helped.
Again, there's been a period of catch 22. The holiday resorts go downhill as the money dries up from lack of visitors, and that accelerates the dilapidation of the area. You need to inject money and give people a reason to return.
It doesn't have to be a star attraction, and I think that's maybe where your concerns might be a little out Marc. Dreamland used to be a destination, but Margate has the potential to be the destination and Dreamland the support. I think it can survive as that, as long as Margate can encourage people into the town. They need to really tidy things up. They need to offer free rents in abandoned retail venues to encourage businesses to start up. They need to instil confidence in the guest houses that people are coming to get them to stop taking in the "sea-side scroungers*" and offer nice rooms for guests. Thanet need to make sure that the town is welcoming as Dreamland opens.
If they can do that, they can get people into the town. Dreamland is fantastically located, so it can really reap the benefits of seaside holidayers. Rhyl clung on in a much worse climate, much worse location and much worse town for a long time and it offered very little. So there's definitely hope, even with the limit of Dreamland's offerings (though ride King Solomon's Mines and tell me it won't have a thrill ride!!! :lol: ). It gives a family a place for a short visit to bolster their day out at the seaside. I don't think it will ever make real money, but I think it will tide over, as long as TDC aren't just hanging all their hopes on Dreamland to fix their town, they need to work bloody hard themselves at the same time.
*or whatever the Daily Mail are calling the unemployed these days
