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One of the biggest and most radical recent seaside redevelopment projects in the UK has been given the go-ahead by planners in Kent despite opposition from residents.
The development at Folkestone harbour was approved by a planning committee this week after a two-hour debate.
Initial plans had been turned down five months before, but a revised application for 410 homes and 54 commercial units was finally put through by local councillors by a vote of nine in favour, two against and two abstaining.
Speaking on the decision to approve, the councillor Adrian Lockwood acknowledged the scrutiny the plans had come under, but said the council “cannot block the blocks. These are going to be built.”
He added: “We love the harbour and it’s hugely successful. I fear we’re going to lose some of the amazing things that have been done down there, but I can’t see any material reasons to refuse this application and potentially subject this council to legal action.”
The company behind the development, Folkestone Harbour and Seafront Development Company (FHSDC), claimed the construction would generate £21m a year for the local economy and create more than 700 long-term jobs. A spokesperson for FHSDC hailed the approval of the development as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure real, lasting prosperity” for the town that would unlock “a transformational set of benefits for Folkestone”.
Many in Folkestone, however, are unimpressed with the development, feeling that the units will destroy the natural beauty of the town’s coast and beachfront.
Mark Hourahane, the vice-chair of the New Folkestone Society – a “voice for the community” – lamented the decision to approve the development, saying the new buildings would “permanently and irreversibly change the appearance” of Folkestone’s seafront.
“Whilst the New Folkestone Society acknowledges there have been minor tweaks to the ‘harbour plan’ since it was unveiled in 2023, our survey showed that 91% of 1,350 people who took it were against the plans for the plots around the station. We are deeply disappointed that it has now been approved,” he said.
There are also concerns about the financial feasibility of the plans.
Luxury flats that have already been built on the seafront have not sold well, and a construction on the site of the former Leas Pavilion was paused in March due to apparent financial issues.
Tony Vaughan, the MP for Folkestone and Hythe, expressed reservations about the harbour project, echoing concerns that it would not fit into the town’s landscape and would be unaffordable for locals.
“The strength of feeling among many local people about the development has been significant and understandable,” he said.
“I think that people worry about the development’s impact on the local heritage and character of the seafront, and feel like a development of this nature is not what Folkestone needs when there is a housing crisis in the local area. Folkestone desperately needs more affordable housing.”
Folkestone & Hythe district council has been approached for comment.
