Shepway District Council
Shepway on the east Kent coast is changing rapidly.
The district’s main town of Folkestone is on the brink of
major changes that will transform the face of the district.
district
focus 126
With such outstanding transport
links Shepway is in an enviable
position for companies wishing
to capitalise on UK and European
business opportunities.
Future developments
and regeneration
Folkestone harbour and seafront
The fast rail link and major
developments already completed
and in the pipeline are putting
Folkestone and the district on the
property and investor hot spot map.
Former chairman of Saga, Roger
De Haan who bought Folkestone
Harbour in 2004 has commissioned
world-renowned architects
Foster and Partners to produce a
masterplan for its redevelopment.
The plans for this unique 360-acre
site include a marina, an expanded
university campus and a range
of outdoor leisure amenities,
including an ice rink, water sports
centre and skateboard park. It is
expected that the regeneration of
this prominent part of Folkestone
will take place over the next five
to ten years offering exciting
opportunities for new business
and inward investment.
Regeneration through
education and art
Improvements to education are
at the heart of the regeneration
of Shepway. The district has two
Academy schools. Designed by
award-winning architects Foster
“When I tell people about the scale
of the exciting new developments
happening in the area, and
Folkestone in particular, all of their
preconceptions are challenged”
said Cllr Carole Waters, Cabinet
member in charge of regeneration.
“Of course, everyone knows about
the fast train link coming in 2009,
which will mean London is about
an hour away, but there is so
much more happening: a major
redevelopment of the harbour with
a marina, homes and leisure; an
award-winning coastal park; a new
shopping centre and an exhibition
set to put Folkestone on the
international contemporary art map.”
Conveniently located
for business
Shepway is a genuine gateway
to mainland Europe, conveniently
close to London and France, with
an unbeatable communications
infrastructure.
A new 108-kilometre (68 mile) twin
track rail line (High Speed 1) from
St Pancras in London to Folkestone
will mean by 2009 the capital is
about an hour away.
Currently travel time to France is
just 35 minutes through the Channel
Tunnel. Dover, Ashford International
Station and Lydd airport are also on
the doorstep, while the M20 links
Folkestone to the M25 in less than
an hour.
Shepway is in an
enviable position
for companies
wishing to
capitalise on
UK and European
business
opportunities
A new High Speed 1 train
district
focus
127
As visitors wander around the town
they can see the work of Turner
Prize winning artists and nominees
such as Jeremy Deller, Nathan Coley
and Tracey Emin, as well as artists
who have played a pivotal role in the
development of British sculpture
over the last 30 years. All of the
work, from sculpture to installation,
performance to film is inspired by
the town, its history and people.
The exhibition will run every three
years. At the end of every Triennal,
pieces of art will be selected to
remain as permanent works of
art in the town, building into a
significant volume of public art
over the next decade.
Folkestone’s once fashionable
Victorian Lower Leas coastal
park has been restored with EU
and Lottery funding and is already
a popular spot for over half a million
visitors a year. Visitors experience
summer meadows and avenues of
pine which lead down to the beach,
while events in an amphitheatre,
overlooking the sea, keep them
entertained with a summer
programme of free music
and drama. ≥
and Partners, the Folkestone City
Academy building is one of the
finest in the country and specialises
in art, media and European culture.
The second, the Marsh Academy,
in Romney Marsh, has a focus on
entrepreneurship.
Newly opened in September
2007, University Centre Folkestone
is a joint project between the
Universities of Greenwich and Kent.
With a focus on the creative arts
and business it will help support
and nurture the development of
a thriving local arts community.
This is in addition to a performing
arts centre, with an emphasis on
contemporary music that will
be ready in 2008.
Art and culture
The town will be on the world
art map in Summer 2008 when
Folkestone’s Creative Foundation
launches the Triennial, one of the
most exciting examples of urban
regeneration through contemporary
art ever staged in the UK.
The open air art exhibition, based on
those held in Venice and Munster,
opened on 14 June 2008.
As visitors
wander around
the town they will
see the work of
Turner Prize
winning artists
and nominees
Folkestone Harbour
district
focus
FOLKESTONE FACTBOX
• Fast train links that will get you to
London in about an hour by 2009
• A major redevelopment proposes
a marina, leisure and homes
for Folkestone’s seafront and
harbour by award winning
architects Foster and Partners
• An exciting new Creative Quarter is
regenerating Folkestone’s historic
old town by providing a base for
artists and creative industries
• A major new international art
exhibition every three years,
starting in 2008, and an annual
literary festival
• A mile long stretch of coastal
park leading down to the beach
with an outdoor amphitheatre
for music and drama and the
largest free outdoor adventure
playground in the South East
• A new shopping centre with
top name stores along with
independent shops, artists’
studios and farmers’, fisherman’s
and artists’ markets
• A new City Academy and
University, and a performing
arts venue
Shopping
With a range of independent
shops, galleries and creative retail
units as well as top brand stores,
Folkestone can never be accused
of having a ‘clone high street’. The
town centre has a new £30 million
shopping centre, opened at the end
of 2007, providing 200,000 square ft
of retail space. Bouverie Place has
attracted top high street stores
including Next, Body Shop, George
and Asda.
Alongside the new centre and the
attractive existing pedestrianised
high street, an exciting Creative
Quarter is being developed. The
refurbishment of the shops and
properties in the historic Old Town
is creating affordable work, retail
and homes for artists and creative
businesses. As well as galleries,
there are shops offering designer
floristry, home interiors, gifts, and
bespoke fashion, as well as coffee
shops and restaurants. There is also
a thriving Farmers’ Fishermen’s in
the harbour every Sunday.
Contact:
Tel: 01303 853000
www.shepway.gov.uk
An artist’s impression of Bouverie Place, Folkestone
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