Pedestrianisation of Margate Old Town

Give Margate Old Town back to people

Margate Old Town is one of the most distinctive and valuable parts of the town — a historic network of independent shops, galleries, cafés, restaurants and creative businesses that attracts both residents and visitors. Yet today much of this unique environment is still dominated by moving and parked vehicles. We should be ambitious enough to change that and create a genuinely pedestrian-first Old Town.

This does not need to mean simply putting up barriers and banning cars overnight. Instead, Thanet Council and Kent County Council should introduce a phased pedestrianisation scheme, initially as a properly designed 12-month trial, covering the core Old Town streets such as King Street, Market Street, Lombard Street, Love Lane and parts of New Cross Street, with carefully controlled access for residents, disabled users, emergency services and essential deliveries. Loading bays could operate at designated times, while nearby car parks and clear routes around the Old Town would make access straightforward without allowing through-traffic to dominate the streets.

There is already a compelling case for doing this. Temporary restrictions introduced in 2020 demonstrated that traffic can be removed from parts of the Old Town, and local councillors reported benefits including increased footfall and improved safety. (Thanet⁠) More importantly, Thanet’s current plans already recognise the need to reduce vehicle dominance, improve pedestrian connections, encourage people to walk and increase visitor numbers and spending. (Thanet⁠) Previous consultation work for Margate has also recorded explicit calls to remove motor vehicles from the Old Town and create more pedestrian-only areas. (Thanet⁠)

The opportunity is bigger than simply making the streets safer. A pedestrianised Old Town could become one of Margate’s greatest public spaces. Instead of pavements squeezed between buildings and traffic, we could have attractive, accessible streets with trees, planting, benches, outdoor dining, markets, exhibitions, play spaces and events. Children could move around more safely, older residents would have a more comfortable environment, and businesses could make much better use of the space immediately outside their premises. The Old Town would become somewhere people come to spend time, not simply somewhere they pass through.

This should be seen as an investment in Margate’s economy as much as its public realm. Margate Old Town is already recognised as a focal location for creative and cultural businesses, and the Council’s planning policy aims to increase its footfall and enhance its vitality. (Thanet District Council⁠) Making the area more attractive and enjoyable would support the independent businesses that give Margate its character, encourage visitors to stay longer and create opportunities for new businesses, cafés, restaurants and cultural activity.

Of course, there are legitimate concerns. Traders need reliable deliveries, residents need access to their homes and people with disabilities must not be disadvantaged. Those are reasons to design the scheme properly, not reasons not to do it. The answer is controlled access, timed deliveries, accessible parking close to the Old Town, sensible traffic management and continuous monitoring of traffic, footfall, business performance and resident satisfaction.

Margate has an opportunity to do something genuinely transformative. We should not ask whether we can afford to give some streets back to pedestrians; we should ask whether we can afford not to. A well-designed, evidence-led trial would allow the town to test the idea without committing to an irreversible scheme. If it works, make it permanent. If something doesn’t work, change it. But let’s give Margate Old Town the chance to become what its heritage, independent businesses and creative community deserve: a beautiful, lively, people-first centre at the heart of Margate.

see AI generated image of this below.