Dreamland in Margate to keep licence after 'drug' death of Emily Stokes following Worried About Henry drum ‘n’ bass gig

Councillors have allowed Dreamland to keep its licence despite serious concerns being raised following the death of a teenager at a recent event.

The theme park on Margate seafront has come under intense scrutiny since its Worried About Henry drum ‘n’ bass gig on June 29.

Among those attending was 17-year-old Emily Stokes, who collapsed after a suspected MDMA overdose and later died in hospital. A further 21 youngsters fell ill from suspected drug use - with one remaining in an induced coma last week.

Today, Thanet District Council’s (TDC) licensing sub-committee decided to allow the venue to keep holding its big music events, with some conditions.

Kent Police requested interim measures following the tragedy along with a full review of the Dreamland’s licence, which had already been due to take place.

Representing the park at the meting today was Philip Kolvin, a barrister who specialises in licensing.

He said: “Please can I start by expressing deep condolence to friends and family of Emily Stokes after her untimely death.

“Deep sadness is felt by my client and everyone in this meeting following the death of a young person.

“Dreamland takes no issue with Kent Police raising this, and have always worked in close partnership with relevant authorities.”

Sands Heritage Ltd (SHL), which owns the amusement park, said in a report that Emily’s death was not their fault, and blamed the “scourge of illegal drugs on society”.

They revealed she was seen on CCTV pulling a bag of what appeared to be drugs from her bra, before taking a pill and passing one to two friends.

Mr Kolvin talked through Dreamland’s list of proposed conditions, which police confirmed they approved of and were eventually adopted by the council.

A spokesman for the force noted: “The conditions being agreed by police does not mean what happened was not incredibly serious, but means Kent Police believes the representations are proportionate.”

In particular, the formation of a Safety Advisory Group (SAG) consisting of various interested parties will be created.

Mr Kolvin said: “A SAG does what it says on the tin. It’s an advisory body, and is not viewed as an approval body.

“The reason SAGs exist is because for larger events it is very important that there's a partnership.

“While the SAG is advisory - my client must adhere to the advice.

“At the end of day, the responsibility rests with the venue which it accepts willingly and professionally.”

Emily Stokes is believed to have taken MDMA before being taken to the QEQM Hospital in Margate where she died.

SHL said in a report submitted to the committee: “It is a fair inference that a seriously harmful batch was in circulation in Margate or further afield on the day of the event.”

At the meeting, Mr Kolvin emphasised that Dreamland has a zero-tolerance policy on drugs, adding: “Zero tolerance means zero tolerance.

“My client does not encourage or condone the sale or consumption of drugs on its site or bringing them into the site and with that we stand shoulder to shoulder with Kent Police.

“There are drugs out there in society, and my client wishes to do all it reasonably can to stop drugs coming into the site and brings in significant resources to stop drugs coming onto the site.”

Emily’s death sparked emergency talks on the night about whether to pull the plug on the event and cordon the area off as a crime scene.

But police say they allowed the gig to continue to avoid a “large-scale public order incident” and to help identify and support any further casualties.

Concerns were also raised by Southeastern, Network Rail and the British Transport Police in a report submitted before the meeting.

They revealed that on the night of the Worried About Henry gig, an estimated 40 youths accessed the railway track which runs alongside the venue.

The companies state: “They were seen climbing over scaffolding, scaling the fences of businesses that back onto the railway, climbing onto bins of local flats and over private fencing and low walls.

“They are putting their lives at risk from electrocution or being hit by a train and causing disruption across the network.”

As a collective, they are requesting for a say in the SAG, and for Dreamland to improve the barrier around its site.

Noise complaints were another issue mentioned when considering the licence, with Arlington House resident John Moss attending the meeting.

He explained: “I’ve made a number of complaints over the years and previously I was singled out as being the most prolific complainant.

“I don't deny that. It’s because I'm in direct line with the stage.

“I also take issue with the language used at some events. This usually includes a word beginning with F.

“It has already happened twice this year and then happened again on Saturday, broadcast at very high levels. It is not appropriate.”

Summarising the decision, TDC officer Mark Davies announced: “The committee has considered the evidence submitted and had regard to the licensing objectives.

“It has considered all four licensing objectives since this is a full licensing review.

“Given the proposed conditions are agreed and supported by Dreamland and the police, the committee is satisfied that in this context these conditions are proportionate.

“It does however wish to impose an additional condition requiring event management to specifically cover border security.

“Therefore the decision is to amend the licence by approving the agreed conditions.”

The imposed conditions include the creation and meeting of the SAG, a more stringent drugs policy and checks, no under 18s at high risk events, further training for staff including age verification, higher numbers of paramedics for high risk events and noise management.