Tracey Emin's foundation has lodged a planning application to transform a derelict 1910 seafront pavilion in Margate into a US$5 million arts and community hub, with architects Waugh Thistleton unveiling the first renderings of the proposed redevelopment.

The Tracey Emin Foundation submitted its plans to Thanet District Council in early August 2026, according to the Isle of Thanet News (Isle of Thanet News). The project would overhaul the Westbrook Loggia, a crumbling Edwardian pavilion on Margate's promenade, into a 1,050 m² complex spanning more than 11,000 square feet (Architects' Journal; Artnet News).

The plans include a restaurant, restrooms, a sauna, coffee and ice cream kiosks, artists' studios and an event space. Waugh Thistleton's designs reinstate rooftop belvederes, an arched colonnade and a public terrace that appear in archival records of the original building. Surviving features — including arched entrance windows and a cast-iron balustrade — would be preserved (Artnet News).

Emin, one of Britain's best-known contemporary artists, is a Margate native. She left London for the rundown coastal town roughly a decade ago to establish TKE Studios, a complex offering affordable studio space, galleries and two residency programmes. She has since acquired several local properties: the former Brown Jug pub, the former Margate Constitutional Club, and four apartments in the Brutalist Arlington House tower block (Artnet News).

She has had her eye on the Westbrook Loggia site since 2020. Thanet District Council transferred the council-owned building to a new owner in August 2023, securing its future after years of decline (Thanet District Council; BBC News). The council had previously commissioned a feasibility study on redeveloping the structure (Thanet District Council).

Emin's presence has coincided with a broader shift in Margate. Galleries including Carl Freedman, 243 Luz, Liminal Gallery and Pie Factory have opened in her wake. That influx has pushed up local rents without necessarily translating into more employment opportunities for residents, as Artnet News reported (Artnet News).

The Loggia project appears designed to address that gap. TKE Studios already runs a café called The Perfect Place to Grow, which doubles as a training kitchen supporting 18- to 24-year-olds facing barriers to sustainable employment (Artnet News). The new hub's mix of studios, kiosks and community facilities follows a similar logic — putting practical workspace and public amenities into a building that has sat empty on the seafront for years.

The planning application now sits with Thanet District Council. A decision timeline has not been publicly announced.