Can the Regeneration of Margate Bring this Iconic Town back from the Brink?
In the early 70's Margate was a haven for families, with sandy beaches, amusements to entertain and plenty of friendly holiday places to stay. By the early 90's Margate was heading into decline, and falling beyond repair. In 2014 can the regeneration programme really restore this once iconic town back to its former glory?
In the early 1970's I spent many days out down in Margate with my siblings.
In the early 90's Margate was just a short drive from our then home in Sandwich, yet taking my children along to the seafront to show them my memories of Margate soon became impossible. A day out in Margate was considered extremely undesirable for many, and as such our Sandwich neighbours considered such a day as 'slumming it'.
In sharp decline, the town had become a haven for those less fortunate in life, with many people struggling to hold onto employment and the once booming town had fallen into heavy decline. Boarded up shops and multi-occupancy housing seemed to be splitting Margate apart, with many of the family orientated residents taking their leave and moving on to pastures new.
What was left behind was a minority of locals battling with change and with so many new people moving in and out of the area there seemed little hope for creating a new and thriving community. Dreamland finally closed it doors in 2005 and since then Margate has not really popped up on the radar, bar a few whispers about regeneration and a bid to put it 'back on the map'.
The Turner Gallery has certainly helped business and a new emerging art scene seems to be breathing a little life back into the town. The property market is taking on a new twist, with many large buildings converting back to single occupancy. 
Inside the Turner Gallery it was a delight to see some of the artist's great works but nowadays art is becoming art for the sake of it and often the only talent needed is a good business head and the ability to convince people of such. Throwing paint at a canvas and hoping for fame is far from gifted in my eyes.
Of the locals we spoke to many felt the retro plans for Dreamland, to create a unique and quintessentially British visitor attraction, may not live up to expectations and once the initial interest had passed the park would once again become neglected and close.
Personally I think it will be a welcome change to the many over-thrilling theme parks that have cropped up within the last twenty years, giving families a chance to reconnect, visit a bit of history and learn about the past while making future memories for their children along the way.
The Old Town has seen a rise in new businesses opening, with cafes and bars popping up amongst a large selection of retro 'antique' shops. Unfortunately the domination of these single line shops, selling highly priced items that really are not of such great value could also be another spanner in the works in the regeneration programme.
Along the front we saw a commercial ice-cream parlour that we chose to avoid, yet a few shops along the discovery of handmade gelato on premises was a sign of, we hope, things to come.
We searched high and low for a box of chocolates to take back to our hotel and were dismayed to discover that Margate has yet to attract any chocolatiers to town, as there is certainly room for a little more selection. 
The beaches along this coastline are still as breathtaking as ever, and if you are looking for sand you will find it by the bucket load in Margate. When the tide withdraws it reveals an expanse of gold, ideal for walking, building and enjoying throughout your stay.
Rock pools are in abundance further along the coast and will keep you entertained for hours in your hunt to observe some of the marine life that stays behind waiting for the sea to return.
Unfortunately along the old promenade towards Cliftonville there are many dog walkers who still do not understand the concept of picking up behind their pets and regular drinkers still feel the need to discard their cans along the way rather than using the many bins provided.
The state of disrepair to the Lido and many other buildings along a small section of the seafront towards Cliftonville stands in stark contrast and reminder that Margate is not fairing well and it left us wondering how morale is being kept up for those trying to survive this period of transition.
Only time will tell for the regeneration of Margate but in this time of renewal we were delighted to find some old establishments that had weathered the storm and some truly amazing new places to visit in the town and surrounding area.
For more information on Margate explore the Visit Thanet website for current regeneration news.
Read our related articles on this area. including: Eating out in Thanet and A 100 Years of History in Cliftonville