CONTEXT 188 : JUNE 2026 39 INFRASTRUCTURE A car from the Scenic Railway from a previous design upgrade, part of the Dreamland Heritage Trust collection of archival materials (Photo: Diane Harvey-White) water towers or windmills, in a sinuous, oblong path rising and falling to support a mile of track and at the summit, suddenly, one is back in Margate with views across the North Sea. Dreamland, Margate, has attracted visitors and daytrippers for thrills and entertainment since its gates first opened. It tells the story of how easy access by rail enabled the public to spend their free time on days out, creating a seaside industry of tourism and the visitor economy. There is an even bigger story to be considered. The Scenic Railway, the only one of its kind in the UK, gives us a snapshot of life at a time of great change. Built just after the end of the first world war, it provided a distraction to a society numb from the devastation of war and tells of the campaigners whose lobbying resulted in the shortened working week and ultimately in the advent of the weekend in the 1930s. It is easy to misunderstand the importance of leisure time, but in the context of a nation recovering from war, the changes to the working week provided hope that reform could civilise a changed world, and the population needed to believe that the struggle had been worth it. This is weighty stuff for a rollercoaster and although the community focuses on its importance to the local economy, it is sites like Dreamland and their wholesome amusements that chart the changes and progress of society, showing how canny entrepreneurs anticipated the mood of change and fed into that with popular attractions, which drove support for reform. To have the right to spend one’s time as one pleased was a novel experience indeed. A Grade II* heritage designation protects the asset for its more than special interest.This is the language that enables local planning authorities to understand that the officer who assessed the asset considered it to have a rarity that only six per cent of the heritage environment possesses, placing it in the same group as harbours, country houses and buildings with architects of renown. This is intended to protect the asset from development that could cause more than substantial harm to the structure. For a wooden roller coaster in an amusement park, its designation does not provide protection from the owner deciding that it no longer wants to operate the ride. Arguably, the largest part of its significance is that it can be ridden. Certainly the owners use this for their marketing and promotion of the park. In January 2026 the owners of Dreamland made the decision to retire the ride. This was shared via national news outlets, and has generated a local outcry and petition that prompted an agenda item at a meeting of Thanet District Council. At the time, the local planning authority believed that there was little it could do because there was no planning application and this decision was not a breach of any application. In demonstrating that running the Scenic Railway generated documentation of its condition that records changes to the structure on an ongoing basis, the district council has now stated that any future proposal regarding it will have to go through a full planning application and demonstrate a clear justification of the decision, something outlined in the National Planning Policy Framework. Protection has been provided by the health and safety regulations that require the Scenic Railway to be inspected weekly and assessed for national compliance annually. Retiring the ride changes those requirements and the documentation of the condition. This record is the result of many inspections and an understanding of what changes to the structure, either by wear and tear or mechanical maintenance, mean for the safety of the public who enjoy the heritage ride. In essence it is the health and safety requirements that are protecting the ride. It is not as old as it would seem, however. The timbers of the Scenic Railway are largely modern and were replaced during the pandemic shutdown. Its current health is the result of a passenger incident in 2024 when the track was damaged, and the owners say that it was lucky no one was injured. The decision on the part of the owners to close the ride is a final one. The Dreamland Heritage Trust, which promotes and protects the assets of the park, has asked for more information and has been told that no reports will be shared with it. The district council, asking for an open and transparent communication with the owners, has also requested the reports, but as of April 2026 they have not been supplied. The six or seven councillors who spoke at the meeting expressed THE LISTING PROCESS IN ENGLAND
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