A public inquiry starts today into the proposed buy-out of one of Margate's most iconic landmarks.

Thanet council wants to buy Dreamland on the seafront and develop it into a major attraction.

But the authority doesn't own the site and says it has been forced into putting a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) on the building.

The former venue has been vacant and unused for the past five years.

Thanet council wants to convert the decaying site into the world's first heritage amusement park featuring historic rides.

But the site owners, Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company, are said to have their own ideas of how the site can be revamped into a major tourism hotspot again - with talk about building houses.

The public inquiry starting today will investigate plans for the compulsory purchase order.

Mike Nuttall, from the Dreamland Trust, said: "It is like a court hearing and it’s for the Dreamland Trust and Thanet District Council to present their case on why this is such a strategically important destination, and it is an opportunity for the other party to present their case."

A decision is expected by the Secretary of State in May or June.