Is Council’s Winter Gardens Giveaway To Granville Owners A Done Deal?

WOT Directors Matthew Milchard and Parisa and Zahra Tarjomani

In March Thanet District Council  (TDC) agreed, pending the submission and approval  of a business plan, costings for renovation works,  and proof of funding,  to award a 1,000 year –  yes I kid you not– leasehold of the Winter Gardens  at a peppercorn( read as  zero) annual rent  to Westwood One Theatre Limited (WOT), a company which  currently owns and operates the Granville Theatre in Ramsgate.

To sweeten  what was already a sweet deal, TDC  offered WOT   a  massive  £4million  taxpayer funded wodge of cash  towards  the restoration and bringing back into use  of the  dilapidated Winter Gardens  which it is estimated will cost somewhere in the region of  £12million, if not more.

Approval of the Winter Gardens disposal  process has yet to be  completed by TDC  and the 1,000 year leasehold  and  £4million grant have not been transferred to WOT. But inexplicably the company  seems to be behaving as if the deal has already  been done, with its directors  putting out information  which,   in my opinion,  is misleading and untrue  and  which creates   the false impression  that the company is already running the Winter Gardens when it is not.

So who is behind WOT and what is the false and  misleading information being pedaled by its directors? Companies House records show the company to be owned by  three directors; sisters Parisa and Zahra Tarjomani and Matthew  Milchard. A quick search  of social media  reveals that  Parisa and Zahra claim to be  the Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director of Margate  Winter Gardens  and that Molly Mallon, partner of Parisa,  as being the artistic director of the Winter Gardens.

Social media also shows that the internet domain name “margatewintergardens.co.uk “was purchased for £2,510 this year. Presumably by WOT in anticipation of securing the lease on the property and £4 million in taxpayers cash. Other postings made by the Tarjonami sisters have renamed WOT as the Westwood One Theatre Group, suggesting yet again that WOT runs several theatres when this is not so.

To create  the false  impression  on social media that WOT is  already the operator of the Winter Gardens when it is  not,  could be dismissed  as the  massively  inflated self-confidence and bragging  of its directors who believe their  takeover of the venue is in the bag.

But more seriously,  and not that I am suggesting   that this is the case,   it could  be reasonably argued that the creation of a  false impression of a successful multi-theatre operating company,   might be  perceived  to be a tactic to mislead and deceive  investors into  pouring money into WOT. An action some might  call  fraud

Either way the untruthful,  self-aggrandizing,  claims of WOT are likely  to end badly. As they  say  pride comes before a fall, a fall which I suspect might be  coming soon.

As I have already mentioned,   WOT is the owner of the Granville Theatre in Ramsgate. From what I can gather the theatre is less than popular with its neighbours.  Apparently events at the venue  often cause parking chaos in the eastcliff area of Ramsgate  and generate considerable noise. 

I also understand that heavy, sometimes  articulated,  lorries are  being driven onto the promenade to load and unload stage equipment for shows. A dangerous procedure when considering the promenade sits atop of  a fragile chalk cliff which is also used by the  public and dog walkers. Rumour has it that WOT has not conducted a risk assessment on loading and unloading at the theatre  and work has not been carried out on assessing  whether heavy lorries may undermine the stability of the chalk cliff.  These are serious  public safety matters which have been raised with both  the council and the Health and Safety  Executive (HSE).

If this wasn’t bad enough WOT has also deliberately  breached planning regulations by building a rooftop bar at the Granville  without TDCs  permission. The council is now investigating this matter and WOT has been ordered to submit new plans to TDC to regularise the unlawful building works.

A number of people have also expressed concern about fire safety at the 600 seater theatre which I understand to have been reported to the HSE and Kent Fire and Rescue.

It also appears from  accounts published by Companies House that WOT is not in a healthy financial state. The company  has limited cash reserves and appears to  depend on loans from finance companies which are secured on the freehold of the Granville. Bearing in mind the widely reported decline in provincial theatre going, and the growing number of theatre closures, plus  the continuing cost of living crisis,  the future of the Granville looks to me to be less than secure.

Other companies,   jointly owned by the Tarjomani sisters and Matthew Milchard,  are like WOT  struggling financially. The latest accounts for Under One Roof Kids Canterbury record a financial deficit  of £179,000. The latest accounts for Under One Roof Kids Thanet record a financial deficit  of £982,000.  The latest accounts for Under One Roof Kids (Franchising)  record a financial deficit  of £186,000 and the latest accounts for Regency Productions  record a financial deficit  of £2,600.

You may  recall that last year I published articles about a company  owned  by Matthew Milchard which  operated a nursery in south London. The company failed and entered  into liquidation in January 2024 owing £420,000 to its creditors including tens of £thousands in unpaid wages and pensions to the nursery staff.

So where does this leave the Winter Gardens?  I believe that  the financial problems faced by WOT and the other companies operated by its directors do not auger well for their plans to restore, reopen and operate  another theatre, especially one as large and run down as the Winter Gardens.

The deliberate breach of planning regulations at the Granville, and the nuisances caused to the theatre’s neighbours does not,  I believe, establish WOTs  directors to   responsible and  trustworthy business owners.   I also believe  that the directors’  misleading and untrue claims  that they  are already operating the Winter Gardens is likely to lead people to believe that they are dishonest.

I hope that the council,  when making a final decision on whether to award the 1000 year peppercorn lease of the Winter Gardens and the £4million taxpayers funded grant to  WOT, will take these matters into account.  If I was the decision maker and was aware of the maters I have described,  I wouldn’t touch the company with a barge pole!

And don’t forget  that the Margate Theatre Royal is soon to  be disposed of by the TDC. I wonder WOT might happen to it?