Faded Margate, in Kent, south-east England, has long been in desperate need of a makeover. The neglected seaside town might have seven sandy beaches and promenades of elegant Victorian villas, as well as being the one-time favourite haunt of the acclaimed painter JMW Turner, but these facts are easy to forget when confronted with its peeling façades and shabby streets.

Now, however, it is in the throes of a facelift. A consortium made up of local councils, development agencies and the Arts Council is injecting time, energy and, most importantly, money, into regenerating this corner of the area known as the Isle of Thanet.