ANNEX B: VISIT NOTE - STAKEHOLDERS IN
MARGATE, 18 OCTOBER 2006
Participants
Dr Phyllis Starkey MP (Chair)
Lyn Brown MP
Mr Greg Hands MP
Dr John Pugh MP
Richard Samuel (Chief
Executive, Thanet District Council)
John Bunnett (Corp. Director,
Thanet District Council)
Cllr Sandy Ezekiel (Leader,
Thanet District Council)
Sam Thomas (Regeneration
Manager, Thanet District Council)
Cllr Bayford (Chair, Margate
Renewal Partnership)
Carla Wenham (Renewal
Manager, Thanet District Council)
Derek Harding (Director,
Renewal Partnership)
Ann Smith (Chair, Margate
Town Partnership)
Fran Warrington/Ruth Wood
(Kent Tourism Alliance)
Frank Thorley (Local Entrepreneur)
Chief Supt. Peter West
(Kent Police)
John Haward (Director
Kent and Medway, GOSE)
Richard Murrells (Director,
Health for Children & Young People, Kent County Council)
Janet Waghorn (Executive
Director, East Kent Partnership)
Paul Tipple (Chair, East
Kent Partnership)
Frances Rehal (Director,
Surestart Millmead)
Victoria Pomery (Director,
Turner Contemporary)
Keith MacKenney (Regeneration
Manager, Kent County Council)
Lucy Betts (Supporting
Independence Programme)
Allert Riepma (Senior
Development Manager, SEEDA)
John Holmes (Chair, Thanet
Community Development Trust)
Paul Trumble (Chair, Local
Strategic Partnership)
Jenny Cranstone (Dalby
Square Project)
Sue Buss (Principal, Thanet
College)
Cheryl Pendry (Press Officer,
Thanet District Council)
Andrea Bennett (Corporate
Project Officer, Thanet District Council)
The Chair opened the meeting by thanking local stakeholders
for attending, and outlined the main themes of the Committee's
inquiry.
Mr Thorley said that public
funding was vital to the future of Margate. The future of the
Dreamland site was the major issue facing the town as its regeneration
could act as a catalyst for regeneration of the rest of Margate.
Mr MacKenney said the
area benefited from a strong and active partnership. However,
various local funding streams had been or would soon be lost—single
regeneration budget, objective 2, townscape initiatives and Heritage
Lottery Fund monies among them. He said that something equivalent
to the coalfield communities fund could be a way forward towards
helping coastal towns.
Mr Thomas said that the
area differed from other urban centres because of the large number
of small-scale private sector businesses operating in it.
Ms Rehal argued for the
development of more children's centres, suggesting that more lottery
funding was required and that the allocation of funding needed
careful consideration.
Mr Murrells discussed
the role of improved community infrastructure in regeneration.
Mr Harding said the town
needed to be more reactive to its problems and stressed the scale
of the problems relating to unemployment, a significant transient
population and low local skills levels. A serious programme was
required to tackle those issues.
Ms Waghorn said local
authorities had worked with an inward investment agency to bring
in more private sector experience. There had been significant
advances in the town's marine and aviation facilities with substantial
improvements in the port and the local airport. This effort was
focused beyond Margate.
Mr Trumble said major
improvements were necessary to local infrastructure, and that
the Local Strategic Partnership was working on that. In particular,
transport links required improvement, but the "loop",
a bus system for the local area, was improving.
Another participant argued for significant infrastructure
investment. He added that small and medium-sized enterprises
could not afford to pay substantial training costs and that the
area had sought large company investment but had many small firms
operating within it. He argued for substantial improvements in
local literacy and skills levels, suggesting that community-based
projects for training before formal qualifications were sought
would be useful.
Mr Holmes stated that
the image of coastal towns needed to be enhanced at a national
level.
Chief Supt Peter West
spoke on the issue of funding, saying that funding levels do not
adequately reflect the level of policing need, influenced by factors
such as the high numbers of Looked after Children in the area.
Mr Riepma outlined SEEDA's
support for improving the skills-base within the local area.
He went on to outline two major projects that SEEDA had supported
to assist in regenerating the area, producing high-quality residential
accommodation in the old town centre area and the development
of a business park. It was stated that these projects would lever
in private sector funding.
Cllr Bayford spoke on
the need to enhance the image of Margate town centre. He noted
that the Dreamland site was privately owned, and as such this
presented a challenge.
Ms Cranstone spoke from
her experience in regenerating Dalby Square of the need to involve
residents and overcome their apathy. She also highlighted the
lack of public transport in the area, informing the Committee
that locals called Thanet 'Planet Thanet'.
Ms Smith stated that with
climate change and global warming Thanet had the potential to
increase its levels of tourists, and that as such it needed to
improve its beaches and coastal paths.
Mr Bunnett spoke on the
need to have a vision for the local area and said strong partnerships
were critical in developing a shared vision across organisations
necessary for successful regeneration.
In response to a question on ownership of the vision
for the area, Ms Wenham spoke of the work under way to
communicate a co-ordinated simple message to the public about
the regeneration of the town. Mr Samuel explained that
as the Chief Executive of Thanet District Council he was ultimately
responsible for the Vision and regeneration of the town, as the
public look towards the district council for action.
Cllr Ezekiel spoke on
the challenge in communicating change to the public particularly
on issues such as the Dreamland site, where there is a resistance
to change. He explained that the council had a community leadership
role in communicating and managing this change process.
Ms Wenham added that there
was a particular difficulty in engaging transient populations
in regeneration, as they are not connected to the local area.
Mr. Harding stated that
many local people held a nostalgic regard for Dreamland as they
feel it is the heart of Margate. He explained that this was a
difficult issue and that people need to be helped to develop a
new identity with the town.
Mr Tipple stressed that
the need for good transport links within the local area was just
as important as its rail link to London. In particular, Thanet
had a low level of car ownership making effective public transport
even more important.
Mr Murrells said that
raising the educational attainment levels in the area was vital
in attracting the private sector to invest. He stated that central
Government needed to create more incentives beyond simple investment
in schools for this to take place.
Mr Thorley finished by
stating that Margate had a lot to offer tourists and private investors,
as he believed Margate was an attractive seaside town with the
best beaches.
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