Legal action will be taken to ensure Margate’s historic scenic railway is properly repaired. Thanet Council’s planning committee has voted unanimously in favour of taking legal steps to secure the future of the fire-damaged feature at Dreamland.

Members gave officers the power to serve repair notices on the former amusement park’s owners, Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company, which will compel them to bring the 1920 ride back to operating condition.

The committee heard at Wednesday’s meeting that council officers are already working closely with MTCRC and its consulting engineers. At the moment, they are in the process of deciding which additional parts of the railway’s structure can be removed before restoration can go ahead.

Hopes are high that work can be completed on the railway by Easter 2009.

Issuing the order is seen as a last resort move by the council, but also gives it the option of compulsorily purchasing the entire 15 acre site - posisbly including the Dreamland cinema - and paying for the work to be done before reselling it again.

Sarah Vickery, of the Save Dreamland Campaign, said: “This is a robust stand by the council and it’s very good news.”