Thanet District Council has taken significant steps this week to restore and reopen two historic entertainment venues in Margate, allocating millions in funding to secure their futures.
A public planning application has been submitted for the transformation of the Margate Winter Gardens, which closed in 2022 due to a large backlog of maintenance work.
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Preferred operator Westwood One Theatre aims to convert the site into an expanded entertainment and educational hub, according to planning documents.
The proposal includes four new bars, a rooftop cafe, a 100-place drama school, a vocational learning center, and a 100-place nursery with secure play spaces, while retaining the original dual concert halls.
The project is backed by a £4 million grant from the Margate Town Deal fund, which Westwood One will match to create a total renovation budget of £8 million.
Contract signings last month triggered an initial release of £400,000 for preparatory surveys and design work, with an additional £200,000 scheduled upon planning submission.
Plans also outline the demolition of a two-storey concert hall extension to build symmetrical structures housing the new nursery.
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Thanet District Council indicated that physical construction could start this summer, targeting an early 2027 reopening for the Main Hall.
The final planning committee deadline is August 7.
Concurrently, the council and property firm Colliers have begun marketing a 99-year full-repairing lease for the nearby Grade II* listed Theatre Royal, seeking an operator by late summer.
Built in 1787, the Theatre Royal is the second oldest operating theater in Britain. It received £6 million from the Margate Town Deal fund after closing in 2022.
The funding will support a 480-seat modernization, including interior restorations, renewed seating, structural stabilization, and reinstatement of the historic orchestra pit.
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Future phases for the Theatre Royal project include converting 19 Hawley Square into an ancillary performing arts space and deploying renewable energy systems once funding is secured.
