Dreamland Margate Announces £15m Park Upgrade

17 Feb 2017

Sands Heritage Limited, the operator of Dreamland Margate, is pleased to announce that it has secured new investment of up to £15m in the company.

The injection of funds supports the strategy of Dreamland’s new management team to strengthen the business significantly and enhance its customer offering. The improvements include the acquisition of new park rides and the sympathetic restoration of existing ones, as well as major upgrades to Dreamland’s indoor and outdoor event spaces.

The investment also facilitates the expansion of the Dreamland footprint, including the acquisition of properties and land adjacent to the park. This will enable the regeneration of a section of Margate’s seafront that overlooks one of the most beautiful beaches in the region.

The recent appointments to Dreamland’s management structure include Rebecca Ellis (Programming and Events Director) and Jennie Double (Commercial Director), who between them bring a wealth of experience from within the leisure and entertainment industries, including successful careers at The O2, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, De La Warr Pavilion, and The British Music Experience amongst others.

Steven Mitchell, Interim Financial Director of Dreamland Margate, said: “This is wonderful news for Dreamland, and for Margate. We want to reset expectations about the experience Dreamland delivers for our customers and, in doing so, create a sustainable business that can reinvest in Margate in the long run as well as this year.

Our plan is to operate a fantastic vintage park that showcases the Scenic Railway and our many other rides alongside destination dining and unique event spaces. We intend to give the local community something they can be proud of and have a great time visiting, while providing people from outside the area an even greater reason to come to Margate.

Work is already underway across the park in advance of reopening during Spring, and the whole Dreamland team is hugely excited. In the mean time, our indoor activitiesremain open and we have some fantastic events coming up, including Geek, the ultimate indoor gaming festival for the whole family, on 17-19 February.”

Cllr Chris Wells, Council Leader at Thanet District Council, said: “It’s positive to see significant private investment going into Dreamland to help secure its financial future. The rebirth of Dreamland would not have been possible without the extensive commitment and financial backing of public organisations, of which the council is proud to have been a part. I’m excited to see the park continue its contribution to the significant regeneration of our original seaside resort – Margate.”

Sir Roger Gale, Member of Parliament for North Thanet, commented: “I am very pleased that measures are being put in place to secure the financial future of Dreamland. The park and under-cover facilities are a vital ingredient of Margate`s year-round offer to leisure and business and I continue to have great confidence in Dreamlands prospect as a major leisure complex.”

The new investment is being provided by Arrowgrass Capital Partners, a significant existing Dreamland creditor that supports the management team’s strategy to build a strong business that will have a positive and lasting impact on the local economy.

Dreamland will be sharing more details over the coming weeks on exciting new developments for customers in 2017 via the official newsletter, and social feeds.