Ramsgate Space: ‘It’s painful to see the high street of a town you love so much struggle to survive’

While town centre transformation project Ramsgate Space is still in its early days, the initiative’s co-founder, Louise Brooks, has big plans for the town she has called home for seven years.

An experienced consultant place strategist, she hopes that in five years the town's high street will be a place that supports local businesses and fosters social connections through its many independent shops, creative spaces, cafes and cultural venues. These, in turn, will lure in visitors with its “unique atmosphere”.

In 10 years, Louise says, Ramsgate should have a thriving, sustainable town centre that prioritises the needs of local people and businesses. “We hope to see a town where people are proud to live, work, and visit, and where the town’s rich history and culture are celebrated in the everyday life of the community,” she adds.

Ramsgate Space was set up earlier this year by Louise with Georgie Street, who also has a background in place making and who moved to Thanet in 2023.

Combined, the pair have more than 25 years experience working on public space revitalisation projects. This includes the Camden Green Loop, Euston's Drummond Street transformation, Poplar’s Aberfeldy Street revival and the huge Elephant Park project in South London.

Joined by Ramsgate locals, Enterprise Nation founder Emma Jones and financial and commercial management pro Caroline Swain, Louise says setting up the project, which is grassroots, community-minded and collaborative in nature, “just made sense”. 

“It’s painful to see the high street of a town you love so much struggle to survive,” she explains. “With our backgrounds in high street regeneration, it made sense for us to launch this initiative.” 

The Ramsgate Space team have begun working closely with Ramsgate Town Council and Thanet District Council, as well as businesses, community groups and commercial agents. Their aim is to turn around Ramsgate town centre through short, medium and long term strategies. 

The first step in this process was an empty shops community action group - a kind of match-making initiative connecting commercial spaces with those who want one - which got underway set up earlier this year. 

“It was obvious from the outset that this is something that local people desperately want a solution to”, Louise says. “Spaces where small businesses, artists and community groups can thrive are badly needed.”

The initiative will see Ramsgate Space secure spaces for 'meanwhile use', earmarking them for temporary arrangements that do good. This will enable the team to monitor the spaces, identify property owners and “explore options for bringing the spaces back into use”. 

Phase one of this service, Louise explains, is pairing up the vacant properties with local businesses, artists, and community groups in need of space. “In order to kickstart Ramsgate’s revival, we need activity and life to draw footfall,” she says. 

“We believe that meanwhile use, or temporary occupancies in our empty shops, is key to this. It will bring short-term bursts of energy which in turn attracts longer-term occupiers.”

The team are still welcoming interested parties to get in touch for this - anything ranging from retail and food and drink, to arts and community projects, pop-up events and markets. “These activities will help change perceptions of Ramsgate, and hopefully help the high street appeal to businesses who are looking for long-term leases,” Louise adds. 

In addition to this, Ramsgate Space is working on cultural programming and pop-up events that will bring people into the town centre that are designed to create a “vibrant atmosphere” as they support local businesses. 

For the longer term, the team are looking into community ownership models, which Louise says could give Ramsgate residents a “direct say in how buildings are used, whether for retail, community projects, events or other uses”. 

“This model will help secure long-term sustainable use of properties and keep them in the hands of the people who care about them, rather than the vacant units we currently have blighting our town centre.”

While Louise stresses that it’s still just the beginning for Ramsgate Space, she says the success of the project so far is the support it has gained. “[It] seems to be really striking a cord with local communities.  

“People are excited to see it unfold and are keen to help however they can, so already the project is forming community bonds around our shared love of Ramsgate and hope for its future.”

And as the team begin to make headway needed for bigger things to come, Louise says she’s excited about the future of Ramsgate and the potential to create a thriving, inclusive town centre. 

“Ramsgate Space is more than just about filling empty shops - it’s about building a community where people are proud to live and work. We encourage everyone to get involved, whether through supporting local businesses, attending events, or simply spreading the word about what we’re doing,” she says. 

“We really believe that Ramsgate can be a place that shines.”

To find out more and get in touch, connect with Ramsgate Space on Instagram.