Pleasurama development Ramsgate? Illustrated with some old pictures.

The main leisure site behind the main sands here in Ramsgate has a bit of a bumpy history and as I guess most of you know has been a disused mess for years.

Periodically a bit more information appears in the public domain, this time it's the Land Registry listing, for those legal eagles here it is in dark blue. For the rest of you the pictures in this post should expand to a decent size if you click away at them, I recommend clicking on the one above and giving the blue bit a miss.

Title Number : TT53781
This title is dealt with by HM Land Registry, Nottingham Office.
The following extract contains information taken from the register of the above title
number. A full copy of the register accompanies this document and you should read that
in order to be sure that these brief details are complete.
Neither this extract nor the full copy is an 'Official Copy' of the register. An
official copy of the register is admissible in evidence in a court to the same extent
as the original. A person is entitled to be indemnified by the registrar if he or she
suffers loss by reason of a mistake in an official copy.
This extract shows information current on 30 SEP 2019 at 15:57:12 and so does not take
account of any application made after that time even if pending in HM Land Registry
when this extract was issued.
REGISTER EXTRACT
Title Number : TT53781
Address of Property : Land lying to the south of Wellington Crescent, Ramsgate
Price Stated : £3,000,000
Registered Owner(s) : RAMSGATE DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LIMITED (Co. Regn. No.
09422758) of Blue House Farm Office, Brentwood Road,
West Horndon, Brentwood CM13 3LX.
Lender(s) : Mintal Group Inc
Title number TT53781
This is a copy of the register of the title number set out immediately below, showing
the entries in the register on 30 SEP 2019 at 15:57:12. This copy does not take account
of any application made after that time even if still pending in HM Land Registry when
this copy was issued.
This copy is not an 'Official Copy' of the register. An official copy of the register
is admissible in evidence in a court to the same extent as the original. A person is
entitled to be indemnified by the registrar if he or she suffers loss by reason of a
mistake in an official copy. If you want to obtain an official copy, the HM Land
Registry web site explains how to do this.
A: Property Register
This register describes the land and estate comprised in
the title.
KENT : THANET
1 The Freehold land shown edged with red on the plan of the above title
filed at the Registry and being Land lying to the south of Wellington
Crescent, Ramsgate.
NOTE: So much of the land tinted pink on the title plan as consists of
highway maintainable at public expense is excluded from the
registration.
2 The mines and minerals are excepted.
3 (04.08.2016) The land has the benefit of any legal easements granted by
a Transfer of the land in this title dated 20 July 2016 made between
(1) Thanet District Council and (2) Cardy Ramsgate Limited but is
subject to any rights that are reserved by the said deed and affect the
registered land.
NOTE: Copy filed.
4 (04.08.2016) The Transfer dated 20 July 2016 referred to above contains
a provision as to boundary structures and a provision excluding the
operation of section 62 of the Law of Property Act 1925 as therein
mentioned.
B: Proprietorship Register
This register specifies the class of title and
identifies the owner. It contains any entries that
affect the right of disposal.
Title absolute
1 (04.08.2016) PROPRIETOR: RAMSGATE DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LIMITED (Co.
Regn. No. 09422758) of Blue House Farm Office, Brentwood Road, West
Horndon, Brentwood CM13 3LX.
2 (04.08.2016) The price stated to have been paid on 20 July 2016 was
£3,000,000.
3 (04.08.2016) RESTRICTION: No disposition of the registered estate by
the proprietor of the registered estate or by the proprietor of any
registered charge, not being a charge registered before the entry of
this restriction, is to be registered without a written consent signed
by the proprietor for the time being of the Charge dated 20 July 2016
in favour of Mintal Group Inc referred to in the Charges Register or
their conveyancer.
4 (27.06.2019) RESTRICTION: No disposition of the registered estate by
the proprietor of the registered estate (other than a charge) is to be
registered without a certificate signed by a conveyancer that the
provisions of clause 7.1 of the option agreement dated 17 June 2019
made between (1) Ramsgate Development Company Limited (2) Thanet
District Council and (3) Blueberry Developments Estates Limited have
been complied with or that they do not apply to the disposition.
C: Charges Register
This register contains any charges and other matters
that affect the land.
1 By a Conveyance dated 28 October 1929 made between (1) The Southern
Railway Company and (2) The Mayor Aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough
of Ramsgate the land in this title and other land was conveyed subject
to the provisions of:-
"an Order of the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice made by
the Honourable Mr Justice Chitty on the first day of April One thousand
eight hundred and eighty two in an action shortly entitled The Attorney
General v The London Chatham and Dover Railway Company (1881 A.
No.205)."
NOTE: No further details of the Order were available on first
registration.
2 (04.08.2016) REGISTERED CHARGE dated 20 July 2016.
3 (04.08.2016) Proprietor: MINTAL GROUP INC (incorporated in Panama) of
Torre ADR, Avenida Samuel Lewis, Panama City , Panama and care of
Aquabridge Law LLP, 21 Spring Lyons Approach, Springfield, Chelmsford,
Essex CM2 5LB.
4 (27.06.2019) UNILATERAL NOTICE in respect of an option to purchase
pursuant to an Option Agreement dated 14 June 2019 made between (1)
Ramsgate Development Company Limited (2) Thanet District Council and
(3) Blueberry Developments Estates Limited.
5 (27.06.2019) BENEFICIARY: Thanet District Council of Cecil Street,
Margate, Kent CT9 1XZ.
6 (27.06.2019) Deed dated 14 June 2019 made between (1) Ramsgate
Development Company Limited (2) Thanet District Council and (3) Mintal
Group Inc supplemental to the Charge dated 20 July 2016 referred to
above.
7 (27.06.2019) UNILATERAL NOTICE in respect of an option to purchase
contained in a agreement dated 14 June 2019 made between (1) Ramsgate
Development Company Limited (2) Thanet District Council and (3)
Blueberry Developments Estates Limited.
NOTE: Copy filed.
8 (27.06.2019) BENEFICIARY: Thanet District Council of Cecil Street,
Margate, Kent, CT9 1XZ.
End of register

Back in the day, the photo above was taken before 1860, this site was a big pile of sand held in place by a wooden sea defence with some boat builders buildings and the coastguard station on it.

In 1860 they dug a railway tunnel to the site, spread out the sand and laid the chalk from the tunnel on top of the sand. They then built a railway station on top.

When the railways were unified in the 1920s the Ramsgate Station we have now was was built and so was the railway viaduct on Margate Road. The picture above shows the Ramsgate Sands Station abandoned after this happened. 

In 1929 Ramsgate Council bought the site.

1 By a Conveyance dated 28 October 1929 made between (1) The Southern
Railway Company and (2) The Mayor Aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough
of Ramsgate the land in this title and other land was conveyed.

During the late 1990s the funfair was was slowly run down and asset stripped I think it closed around 97

Burning down in 1998

At around the same time the council changed the esplanade removing the through road access and most of the parking.

The council found a tenant for the site and passed plans for a huge development which stuck up above the cliff top, above is one of the pictures from the plans the passed.

 Some work was done

mostly putting in foundations resting on the sand, which may not be a very good idea

if we have a big storm and exceptionally high tide.

But I think the main issue is the cliff wall, the yellow bit is a bit jerrybuilt and doesn't seem to have foundations

the purple bit was built in 1860 part of it collapsed in the 1950s the photo above shows firemen digging through the rubble looking for and people who may have been there when it fell down.

I may ramble on a bit about this

Here at Michael's Bookshop in Ramsgate a fairly busy Monday
link to pictures of the books we put out

Including some early green Penguins which I am always keen to buy.

Fun House Comes to Pleasurama in Ramsgate now with dodgems update

Planet Hollywood is a strange place where anything can and will happen

 I thought there was supposed be a gloopy stage after the dusty stage involving tarmac

 I have been out sketching at the Pav aka Spoons this am, due to the direction of the sun and the noise from the drainage engineers a new sketch from a new cool place.

A note for watercolour painters here, I usually use Bockingford "NOT" paper but have started this one on a sheet of archers, this went all manky when I tried to remove a mistake by vigorously rubbing it with my sponge and dabbing the paint off with a tissue, however I left it in the sun and and when it was dry used an ordinary eraser on the manky bit

  which removed all of the mank.

's a luverly day out there

I am now back at work in the bookshop in front of the air con and won't be skiving off until lunchtime.

Lunchtime now and there is a drilling rig off Ramsgate

 Zoom

 Zoom

Too much haze

Lunch Wetherspoons, ordered coffee with it, which comes as an empty cup meaning the staff have to guard your lunch from seagulls while you go off and use the coffee machine

Evening walk 

Dodgems going up on the Pleasurama site 

The fair has been arranged via businessman Jeremy Godden. Site owners Ramsgate Development Company has submitted an application for temporary change of use which is waiting to be validated.

See article on THE ISLE OF THANET NEWS

Only used the Canon camera today This is the link to the photos

Here are the books we put out today This is the link to the photos

Another sketch of T. S. Royalist in Ramsgate Harbour, Feast of the Sea Fest in Ramsgate today and Labour PPC Will Scobie in video about Manston Airport and Pleasurama if I can get it to work. Mebbe a ramble

I may get a chance to get back there and put some watercolour on this one, all a matter of time.

I still seem to be having trouble with the hull proportions but did a bit better with the Ramsgate in the background this time to my mind. Of course with this type of rather tenuous sketch a lot of it is about what the mind viewing it does to what isn't there.

The Feasts of the Sea Fest was was on down the seafront when I went pars and ought to be worth a visit if you are wondering what to do today.

Next a go at embedding this video of the interview with Will

Post by In Touch With Thanet.

The Manston issue does seem to be moving forward, with the cpo by TDC I am reminded of the person with the hammer and the screw, where having banged in the screw with a hammer they are now looking at the slot in the screw where the screwdriver goes and the hammer and trying to make some sort of connection.  

I guess slowly the people trying to make political mileage out of the situation, the people who were just lonely and wanted to be part of some sort of positive group, the people who just seem to get their kicks out of saying what’s wrong with this that and the other and of course the people who just want to protest will stand back and decide. What? Well I guess first of all what their objectives are, which if they ever were to save Manston Airport probably weren’t to support an air transport hub they couldn’t fly from that UK and EU environmental regulations would probably never have allowed to even get started.    

What about our Labour PPC then? Well frankly he still seems pretty convincing to me and I guess UKIP must be only too aware of how he beat them in the county council elections. In with a chance do you think? Personally having voted for both Labour and Conservative PPCs in previous elections, the deciding factor for me is will they make a good constituency MP? I don’t consider my own solitary vote makes any difference to the national political result but do what I can to help select an MP who is at least going to answer my emails personally and perhaps have some sort of input on local issues.   

On to the latest Manston auction, how much did the stuff fetch? Well as you can see from the link the fire engine made £7,450 and if you click on the green arrow buttons you can see what the rest of it made http://www.ppauctions.com/lot_closed.php?l_id=52251&id=126&search=chocks&cat=all&perPage=20&sort=2&thisPage=1&account=no one way to spend your evening I suppose.

On the bookshop front we are still fairly busy at the moment and have seen a definite improvement in book sales so far this year.

I was sitting sketching the ceiling and drinking a coffee in Waterstones the big chain bookshop at Westwood Cross yesterday trying to ponder where UK bookselling is going.

The physical book as opposed to the download, E-book and so in has definitely not had its day, but a lot of what the big chain booksellers and publishers are doing at the moment suggests a bit of a misunderstanding about what is actually going on.

On the one hand in my bookshop, the non-fiction books that are selling are the ones least like websites, where either the information contained in them just isn’t on the internet or the formatting of the book is not like the formatting of websites. On the other hand a great many on the new non-fiction books coming out, when you open them up and look inside seem to look more and more like websites.

The whole issue of UK bookselling need a lot more thought at the moment, perhaps more later, here are some pictures of the children’s section in my bookshop, which I have recently expanded.    

I guess the key issue here is the manufacturers, publishers in this instance, but I guess it would apply to a lot of products, need a way of getting their products on to the high street so people can handle them and compare them with similar products made by different manufacturers.

The rub here is that it has become cheaper for the retailer to have products on a warehouse and sell them via a website.

One of the up and coming shop businesses at the moment are art galleries and what they do is to charge artists a fee to display their work for a period of time and take a percentage of the selling price of what actually sells.

There may be lessons here to be learnt by the retail world, as far as I know the only general independent bookshop that is much larger than mine, Baggins in Rochester, does this.

Though honestly when it comes to new books selling at what in the rather crazy modern retail world I can only describe as the full price, I would say with the very large W. H. Smith and Waterstones at Westwood Cross Thanet has more retail space devoted to sales than is warranted.  

Looking at the two relatively small Albion Bookshops and Geerings that closed when they opened and considering that my own sales, where the average book price is probably around an eight of theirs, I haven’t seen a very noticeable change in the demand for books in Thanet since they opened.

I short it just doesn’t make sense.