Introduction
The Folkestone Harbour Company has commissioned leading architects Terry Farrell & Partners to draw up plans for the redevelopment of Folkestone Seafront. The ambition is to build upon the substantial regeneration work that has already taken place in the Creative Quarter in Folkestone’s Old Town. Once regenerated, the seafront will increase its attractiveness to visitors and residents providing a new public realm and benefitting the local economy.
This website provides information on these proposals and the principles that will help shape the future of the Seafront as an attractive and vibrant place for local people to be proud of and visitors to be attracted to.
Development of Folkestone Seafront faces a number of challenges. Historically, ferries and cargo ships operated from Folkestone Harbour to various destinations and the Seafront was a popular tourist destination. By the late 1990s, however, ferry operators Sea Containers Ltd decided that ferry operations had become unsustainable and the last ferry link was closed down in 2000. Tourism also declined and the fishing industry has diminished over time.
As a result of these changes, many former seafront businesses are no longer economically viable and the seafront has become physically disconnected with the rest of the town. The one way traffic and public transport system further restrict access and there is little or no diversity of character or experience. The seafront is an empty stage needing a new approach.
There is now an enormous opportunity for Folkestone to capitalise on the benefits offered by the recently opened high speed link to London and its excellent connections to Europe. Farrells’ work on a variety of high speed rail projects overseas (including Beijing and Hong Kong) shows that high speed rail can completely transform places in a relatively short period of time with wide ranging benefits for surrounding communities.