Folkestone - A brighter future public engagement

Significant public engagement took place for 'Folkestone – A Brighter Future' between summer 2023 and spring 2024.

Community engagement took place online and face to face at three separate engagement events. These public engagement events were opportunities for residents to look at the detail of what is being proposed, to talk to those working on the project and to make comments on the plans. After finding out about the proposals, either online, through the media or by attending a public engagement event, residents and visitors were invited to complete a survey for each phase of the consultation.

The views and comments we received helped us understand if people thought the project was going in the right direction and if not, what needed to change. As a result of the feedback at these sessions, several proposals in the project were dropped or amended.

Thank you to all who took part and gave us your views. The responses we received were essential to refining the scheme to make it work better for the community.

Below is an overview of the three phases of engagement that took place and the feedback received. The project will bring about positive benefits to Folkestone but naturally not everyone liked every proposal. The documents below include a sample of the feedback we received on different elements of the scheme. We’ve also included what things were changed as a result or reasons why we hadn’t done other things.

Phase one public engagement event

The first community engagement event was held on 5 and 6 July 2023 at Bouverie House Business Centre in Bouverie Place, Folkestone.

Phase one proposals

The phase one engagement focused on the significant improvements planned for the complicated road system around Folkestone Central train station and to Cheriton Road and Cheriton Gardens, leading to Middelburg Square.

As well as more and upgraded pedestrian crossings, proposals for phase one of the project included a new roundabout at the junction of Shorncliffe Road and Cheriton Road and many more areas of green space and seating in pedestrian areas.

Below are the boards which were displayed at the in-person event and available online:

Levelling Up Fund display boards (PDF, 5.04MB)

Below is a sample of the feedback received from the public and our responses:

Phase 1 public engagement feedback responses (PDF, 141MB)

Phase two public engagement event

The next community engagement event was held on 17 and 18 November 2023 at Bouverie House Business Centre in Bouverie Place, Folkestone.

Phase two proposals

The phase two engagement included moving the bus station from Bouverie Square to Middelburg Square and returning Bouverie Square to return to its former use as garden square.

Details of the proposed changes could be seen on the boards or by watching a fly-through video:

Below is the fly-through video detailing the proposals for phase two:

Below are the boards which were displayed at the in-person event and available online:

Levelling up fund display boards (PDF, 33.09MB)

Below is a sample of the feedback received from the public and our responses:

Phase two engagement feedback and responses (PDF, 1.91MB)

Phase three public engagement event

The third community engagement event was held on 8 and 9 March 2024 at Folkestone Town Hall, Folkestone.

Phase three proposals

Proposals for this third phase included improvements to Guildhall Street and the pedestrianised area of Sandgate Road. Updated plans for Bouverie Square (the current bus station) had been refined based on the feedback provided by the community at our last event in November 2023.

Detailed designs for phase one of the project were revealed, showing the changes from Station Approach down Cheriton Road and onto Middelburg Square. Updated proposals for Shellons Street, as result of feedback from our phase two public engagement events, were also included.

For the first time the project could also be viewed in its entirety. Details of the proposed changes could be seen on the boards or by watching a fly-through video:

Below is the fly-through video detailing the proposals for phase three:

Below are the boards which were displayed at the in-person event and available online:

Levelling up fund display boards (PDF, 5.87MB)

Below is a sample of the feedback received from the public and our responses:

Phase three engagement results and responses (PDF, 2.03MB)

Next steps

A further public engagement is planned for Autumn 2024 when the first work is due to start on the project. Rather than seeking feedback this event will reveal the detailed plans in full and the building schedule for the project.