ARLINGTON HOUSE APPLICATION

The upgraded listing of the Scenic Railway will be taken into account in the decision making process on the application for Arlington House in Margate, that’s the promise from Thanet District Council.

The Scenic Railway’s listed status was upgraded in July from Grade II to Grade II*, putting it into the top 6% most important listed buildings in the country.

The council’s position on this is set out in writing by the council’s Corporate and Regulatory Services Manager, Harvey Patterson. He confirms that the council will not be issuing a decision notice on the Arlington application, until the issue of the re-listing of the Scenic Railway is taken into account. However, the council has yet to decide whether a report will be made to the Planning Committee.

The plans to build a new retail superstore next to Arlington House were passed back to Thanet District Council by the government in July. The application had been supported by the council’s Planning Committee in June and it is now being looked at by officers, who are putting in place a Section 106 agreement.

The application proposes a 7,565 square metre superstore being built on the existing car park, with 409 new parking spaces at ground floor, with the store above. It also proposes improvements to Arlington House, with outline proposals for the demolition of the existing retail units in Arlington Square. These would be replaced with a two, three and four storey building, accommodating shops, offices, cafes, restaurants or bars, with a 60 room hotel above, overlooking the seafront.