27/07/2009 04:49:00

An amusement park featuring vintage fairground rides has received a financial boost from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The former Dreamland amusement park in Margate, Kent, has been chosen as the site for redevelopment and reopening as a heritage attraction where visitors can enjoy experiencing working rides from less modern times, including the oldest rollercaster in the UK, the Grade II listed Scenic Railway. Other rides salvaged from closed and unused amusement parks in Blackpool and Southport have also been secured for the attraction.

Costing around £12m, Dreamland will allow free entry for visitors to the park and gardens, and operate on a wristband scheme where revellers looking to enjoy the vintage rides can purchase one for all day access. It is estimated that the south east England amusement park will attract around 700,000 visitors per year and provide a considerable boost to the area's tourism.

Many of the vintage rides have been rescued over the last 10 years by the Dreamland Trust. The honorary secretary of the Trust, Susan Marsh, told the BBC: "We will now work up detailed plans to ensure that we deliver this unique new visitor attraction in the heart of Margate, providing a major boost for the tourism economy and giving the people of Margate what they have so long wished for - a revitalised Dreamland."

Funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund amounted to £384,500, but the Dreamland Trust hopes to increase that number to £2m in order to fully realise its vision.