MARGATE'S former amusement park Dreamland has been safeguarded for the future.

The former Bembom Brothers site has suffered from falling numbers and has now been left with just one rollercoaster, the listed Scenic Railway.

Thanet District Council has admitted that uncertainty over the site has held back development in the town, and planning guidelines have been drawn up to protect it.

Programme director of the Margate Renewal Partnership Derek Harding said: "This site is absolutely key to the economic regeneration of Margate.

"We know that uncertainty about what is happening to the Dreamland site is holding back investment and development in other parts of the town and the development of this planning guidance is the first step towards developing Dreamland and unlocking the potential of other sites in the town."

The guidelines, which the owners and any future owners will have to abide by, have also been broadly welcomed by the Save Dreamland campaign.

Campaign chief Nick Laister said: "It's early days and the guidelines don't go into much detail, but what they do say supports the Local Plan.

"It says that 50 per cent of the site should remain as an amusement park and that is something that is in agreement with our position.

"It also requires the developers to put something into the park because at the moment it's just a car park with a rollercoaster.

"We have a reasonably good relationship with the owners [The Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company] and we await with interest their revised plans."

The Local Plan, which is the planning bible all planning decisions must abide by, says that any proposals that "would lead to a reduction in the attractiveness of Dreamland as an amusement park shoud be resisted" and that only a small part of the site can be used for other purposes.

The development brief for the 20-acre site is a mixed scheme, using most of the property as a park, but with some residential aspects and retail.

It calls for:

* The refurbishment of the Dreamland Cinema building for leisure uses, which could include conference facilities;

* Keeping the Scenic Railway;

* The park area surrounding the railway must remain an amusement park;

* Bars, restaurants and shops within the park;

* A 250-space car park;

* Residential sections;

* and the amusement park should operate before, during and after the development.

Leader of the council Sandy Ezekiel said: "We have reached a position where the council, landowners and partners are getting close to an agreement on the future of Dreamland and that's something that has never happened before.

"We want to create a dramatic destination on this site for both visitors and residents."