Folkestone
2024 September’s PCUK trip took members to Folkestone on the Kent coast where we were hosted by Councillor Adrian Lockwood, who has played an instrumental role in Folkestone’s transformation over the past two decades.
Folkestone is regularly featured as a success story for regenerated coastal towns. With a unique arts and tourism-led model, to date, much of the regeneration has been made possible by a private benefactor - Sir Roger de Haan, whose family founded the Saga Group. In 20 years, The Roger De Hann Trust has invested an estimated £100m into a range of projects supporting Folkestone’s regeneration. Today, while there’s been plenty of success stories to share about the city, Folkestone’s turnaround hasn’t been a quick fix and is still a work in progress with a clear need for better connection between areas. The tour took us through the background to the town’s regeneration and then back to the present via a new Place Plan. We considered the challenges which still remain and how the incoming developments may (or may not) address them and whether Folkestone’s model could be successfully replicated in other places.
The group met at Folkestone Central Station, less than an hour from London on the high speed train line and from there we walked to Folkestone & Hythe’s District Council offices to meet Ewan Green, Director of Place and Llywelyn Lloyd, Chief Planning Officer.
Having secured £20m in Levelling Up Funding, the Council took us through their vision and plans for the town centre which include:
untangling the road network that was constructed to support the route to a now defunct port
the repurposing of the former Debenhams into Folca a new health centre
a new park to make the town centre a more inviting and welcoming place to spend time.
Decisions have been shaped by extensive engagement to create an environment for large scale change.
While the old high street and harbour arm have been transformed, the core town centre – home to multiples long departed including M&S, Wilko, Debenhams – has continued to decline over the past 20 years and is impacted by the same issues facing high streets and town centres across the country.
The Place Plan identifies six 'missions' for tackling Folkestone's 'Grand Challenge' which includes celebrating what is good, a town centre for the future, a place for all voices, moving sustainably, accessing opportunity and delivering sustainable quality.
We also experienced the Magic Carpet flythrough showcasing the challenges and proposals to meet them. Importantly, the council are also creating an activation programme to encourage people back into the town centre now, to attract them in the build up to the bigger changes which will take a few years.
On leaving the council offices, we headed to the Harbour Arm where we were fortunate to hear Sir Roger de Haan who took us through the changes in Folkestone over the past 20 years and the steps championed by the Roger de Haan Charitable Trust ook to ensure the results held for the long term with a key focus on supporting education, sport, heritage and the arts.
Starting with a creative-led (and tourism) approach, 90 buildings were purchased in the Old High Street to form the Creative Quarter. By 2012, around 80% of the previously derelict buildings had been developed and of these 60% were occupied. By 2019 all but two buildings had been refurbished and the occupancy rate of the completed portfolio was 99%. Having attracted investment, including Hertiage Lottery Funding (HLF) for two listed buildings, the wasteland was developed into the award winning Payers Park - with a slide as the quickest route down from the top of the high street!
There are now 800 people living and working in the Creative Quarter and the stipulation is that all businesses have to make something. This might include making, servicing, mending, upcycling to ensure that what is happening has some visibility to it. Complimentary to this offer is that there are now more than 70 pieces of art on public display as a result of the Art Triennial (the next one takes place in 2025).
In more recent years, the focus has changed to consider generational regeneration. On the premise of investing in the next generation to create opportunities for them to stay – investing in the town, bringing up a family there and having work opportunities locally (or returning post-university) – the focus, championed by the council is now on housing, education and transport. We finished our visit with a walk past the Quarterhouse and the world’s first multistorey skatepark vertical skate park F51 - world’s first multi-storey skatepark, followed by drinks and conversation about what we had seen and heard at The Radnor Arms.
Key takeaways
The Folkestone model can be replicated without a benefactor via funding (HLF might be the best fit) for building acquisition with a plan to grow once the first ones are completed and let.
Funding needs to be long term with the suggestion that it should be 20 years not three with money being released at regular intervals, to have the greatest chance of success.
While a new garden town is planned, Otterpool Park, there are lots of questions about the redevelopment of the Shoreline and Harbour Carpark meeting the long term local needs.
The Harbour Arm is now being run as a commercial venture by Folkstone Harbour Development Company having started as a community initiative marking a shift as the regeneration approaches change.
While there is much to be celebrated in Folkestone, challenges remain. The library and swimming pool are currently closed and areas of the town continue to experience high levels of deprivation. How do we ensure that the positives of regeneration aren’t cancelled out by other elements of the town failing and that it benefits all? A return visit to check on Place Plan progress will be a must to see how Folkestone continues to evolve.
