Margate’s reputation as a creative coastal hub continues to grow

Home to the Turner Contemporary, one of the UK’s leading galleries, Thanet town Margate has grown in artistic notability since the Margate seafront gallery opened in 2011 while often referred to as the catalyst to the town’s regeneration.

Multiple art galleries now exist across Margate and many artistic landmarks such as The Shell Lady and Anthony Gormley’s ‘Man’ sculpture, which overlooks the Thanet coast.

The latest creative development in Margate has been the announcement of world-renowned artist Tracey Emin returning to her childhood home to open a revolutionary Art School in Margate’s Old Town district.

Emin’s Art School is part of her broader plan to transform Margate into an ‘artist’s haven’, with the brand new TKE (Tracey Katrina Emin) studios set to be located at a former bathhouse and mortuary five minutes from her current studio.

Rent prices for studio space at the new gallery will also be lower than usual. Emin wants TKE to be affordable for budding art students eager to learn, improve, and produce high-quality work.

Margate’s transformation into a creative hub has helped to regenerate the seaside town according to Property Market Index, which believes the town even rivals Brighton with its diverse cultural scene

Property Market Index reporter Amanda Collison said: “Margate is said to have an Islington feel and, with the redevelopment of the old town and the historic Dreamland amusement park, the town is now bringing millions of visitors and money back into the area.”

Property Market Index’s national report in 2021 highlighted a rising demand from Londoners wanting a home by the sea, suggesting that more people working from home following COVID and the subsequent need for more space at an affordable cost, as well as a new desire to leave the urban confines for the cleaner seaside air is driving up demand.

Out of 20 seaside towns, Margate neighbours Ramsgate was listed as the number one most desirable area to relocate to from London in the latest Property Market Index Rating; fellow Thanet coastal towns Broadstairs and Margate ranked second and third.

House prices in Ramsgate have surged 92% over the past ten years, while Margate has seen the highest 10-year percentage rise in house prices of all seaside towns in the UK at a staggering 98%, according to a Halifax Seaside Town Report on 191 UK coastal locations.

Blueberry Homes has a project set to begin in Margate very soon called Gallery Walk, consisting of brand-new luxury apartments located in Margate's burgeoning art district, neighbouring Tracy Emin's brand new art school.

Gallery Walk-Margate will also be a short walk away from the vibrant Old Town of Margate, Turner Contemporary art gallery, the revitalised Dreamland vintage theme park, and iconic Margate Main Sands beach.

Final phase luxury apartments at our £60 million Blueberry Homes Royal Sands Ramsgate seafront development are also still available to reserve, where residents can enjoy coastal living and café culture in the sunshine coastal capital of the UK.

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