The channel gradually closed between the 12th and 16th centuries through a combination of natural silting and artificial land reclamation.

[29] Unemployment levels are nearly twice the South East of England as a whole, and as a result a great deal of planning is being done to encourage more businesses to relocate to the District.

Redevelopment and renovations are to be undertaken at Margate's Dreamland (a Heritage Amusement Park); Cliftonville (Lido site); and a Holiday Inn (hotel), now open.

A large retail and residential development on Ramsgate seafront, known as Royal Sands, started construction in 2011 but was quickly halted.

The Thanet Offshore Wind Project, near North Foreland, began operating in September 2010.

The project is expected to have a total capacity of up to 300 MW which, on average, is sufficient to supply approximately 240,000 homes with green energy.

The project will thus make a significant contribution to the government's national and regional renewable energy targets.

[31] Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs each have shopping centres with a mix of local and national retailers complemented by Northdown Road, Cliftonville, Westgate and Birchington-on-Sea.

This will form part of the UK's first true high-speed commuter service, according to the South Eastern Railway Company.

[32] Main road links are the A28 which brings traffic from Canterbury and Ashford; and the A299, north coast route.

Because it was used as a U.S. airbase during the Second World War it has one of the longest runways in the UK, and while open it was designated by the United Nations as an emergency landing site for aircraft in trouble.

[citation needed] Ferry services are no longer running from the Port of Ramsgate, and the council is currently in dispute with the former operators over the payment of £3.3 million[34] Thanet has a large hospital: the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital, known as the QEQM.

The community learning within the district is varied and wide, including charitable training organisations such as East Kent ITeC Ltd, and organisations such as Margate Adult Education Centre, Thanet Skills Studio and Thanet Stage School.

In 2023, Nelson College London overtook the former Canterbury Christ Church University campus in Broadstairs, offering HND courses in Business and Hospitality Management.