Margate - Regeneration

Regeneration

The former chairman of the Margate Civic Society, John Crofts, had a plan to develop a centre that would explore and show the link that the painter JMW Turner shared with Margate. In 1994 he became increasingly determined to create such a gallery and in 1998 the Leader of Kent County Council met a number of people from the art world to discuss the idea. They hoped that the centre would regenerate the once-thriving town of Margate and offer an alternative to Margate's traditional tourist trade. In the late 1990s, the County Council offered to fund the building of the Turner Gallery. Additional funding was contributed by the Arts Council England and South East England Development Agency. In 2001 the Turner Contemporary was officially established. The site initially proposed formed part of the harbour itself, but some critics questioned the prudence of placing part of Britain's national art treasures in a spot that was exposed to the full fury of the North Sea. To reduce the cost, Thanet District Council chose a new site inland from the harbour wall. The scheme was supported by the artist Tracey Emin, who was brought up in Margate. The building itself was designed by David Chipperfield Architects after the abandonment of the design by Snøhetta + Spence architects. Building work started in 2008 but the project's initiator, John Crofts, died in 2009. The Turner Contemporary Gallery officially opened on 16 April 2011. It is hoped the gallery will help regenerate the town in the same way St Ives has benefited from the introduction of the Tate Gallery.

Across the road from the gallery in Margate Old Town there is a thriving community of independent shops. Accessed from the seafront via Market Street, Duke Street and King Street this fascinating area is clustered around the Old Town Hall and Market Place. There is also a small museum in the Market Place where one can learn a little about the history of Margate. In the Old Town local entrepreneurs are aiding regeneration by giving visitors an ever-expanding range of shops in which to browse and buy... and an equal variety of places in which to eat and drink. In 2012 Margate was chosen as one of the towns to benefit from the Portas Pilot Scheme aimed at regenerating some of Britain's run-down High Streets. It is hoped that the money provided by the scheme will enable the re-opening of the many empty shop units in the lower High Street.