Fun park operator wants Dreamland

Dreamland theme park opened in Margate in the 1920s

The operator of a theme park in Essex has said he is keen to redevelop the Dreamland amusement park in Margate.

The future of the Kent site has been hanging in the balance since its closure was announced three years ago.

The site has opened again this summer, with fairground rides replacing the more permanent attractions that have mostly been stripped out and sold.

Philip Miller, who reinvented the Adventure Island site in Southend, said Margate needed to be "livened up".

"I'm in the fun park business and Dreamland is a fun park in need of a bit of fun," he said.

The Scenic Railway rollercoaster is a listed structure

"I believe it could be made into a fun-filled and profitable fun park... Margate now is a bit sad - when you walk along the front you see the shops all boarded up and properties run down.

"It wouldn't take too much to liven it all up again."

The company that owns Dreamland still has to make a definite decision about its future, and has considered developing the site for other uses.

Thanet District Council has said it will only allow a change of use if the owners can prove it is no longer economically viable as a fun park.

Dreamland opened in the 1920s and is home to the UK's oldest rollercoaster, the 86-year-old listed Scenic Railway.