'Re-imagined' Dreamland amusement park plans unveiled

Plans for the first phase of the re-imagined Dreamland have been unveiled, eight years after the amusement park closed its doors.

The "vintage-style" attraction, in Margate, Kent, would be home to "lovingly restored rides", seaside artefacts and the oldest surviving rollercoaster in Britain, the attraction's spokesman said.

Work to restore the park's Grade II* listed Scenic Railway rollercoaster started in September.

Built in 1920, it fell into disrepair when the attraction closed in 2005 and was then badly damaged by an arson attack in 2008.

Dreamland would also have 15 rides from the 1920s and Grade II* listed menagerie cases dating from the 1870s - said to be some of the last of their kind in the world - along with side shows and dining.

The Heritage Lottery Fund, Thanet District Council and the government have pumped £18m into the project.

The site will be capable of hosting large-scale events, festivals and visiting attractions, the spokesman said.

The organisers hope the amusement park will reopen in the spring or summer of next year.

Designer Wayne Hemingway, who has been appointed to deliver the project, will launch Dreamland at an event in London later.