The once thriving seaside town fell into disrepair after the closure of its ferry port and the rise of cheap flights abroad. Now, it has been transformed into a trendy hub of art and culture
Local authorities across the UK are grappling with financial woes, and communities nationwide, including once-thriving seaside towns, are feeling the pinch. Folkestone in Kent is one such place that has seen better days. In a recent chat, businessman Sir Roger De Haan shared how he watched this charming town decline into a bleak, neglected area.
The closure of its ferry port in the early 2000s forced Folkestone to reinvent itself as Dover took over cross-channel travel in the county. The advent of affordable flights abroad led to a drop in domestic tourism to Folkestone. The harbour and town centre became desolate reminders of more prosperous times.
Sir Roger revealed that his father, the founder of holiday company Saga, had foreseen this decline but would be proud of what the town has transformed into today – a revitalised, trendy hub brimming with art and culture, now arguably the UK’s hippest seaside town. This transformation was fuelled by a whopping £100 million investment from Sir Roger’s charitable foundation.
He purchased buildings to help businesses set up shop and spearheaded the construction of key community projects like the Folkestone Academy secondary school, reports the Express. Stepping in where the public sector fell short, the philanthropist appears to have made a genuinely positive impact on the town.
Wandering through the Creative Quarter in Folkestone’s hilly old town, it felt as though I’d stepped into a trendy corner of east London, or returned to the thriving West Country town of Frome. Yet here, I found myself concerned about the consequences of economic redevelopment.
Alice Cleaver, 29, manager of the homewares outlet The Shop Next Door, told me: “It feels like we’re not the ones that are supposed to be living here.” Her words resonated with me, particularly as she was speaking about younger residents, like myself.
I questioned Sir Roger about whether local people have been or risk being priced out by his regeneration efforts, given he has already overseen the development of new flats along the seafront, with further construction anticipated, alongside additional commercial premises.
He said: “One of the challenges with regeneration is that rents go up and house prices go up. But they needed to go up a bit because the housing stock in Folkestone was getting very, very rundown. And one of the reasons people weren’t investing in their rundown house… is when you’ve done up your house, you need to know it’s worth what you paid for it and how much you spent in doing it up.”
The businessman added: “Some people say the houses we’re building on the seafront aren’t for them. But why should they be? You can’t build houses for everyone.
“It’s not as if we’ve knocked down any. We didn’t knock any houses down to build these houses. It was a brownfield site. But the jobs that will be created will, again, be good for the local economy.”
As affluent individuals, including those from London, continue relocating in search of a more tranquil lifestyle, and as towns like Folkestone undergo continued regeneration, it will unavoidably become more challenging for those with limited financial resources to afford living there. However, in my opinion, this is a necessary consequence to ensure Britain has a prosperous future.
Population shifts are unavoidable, and we Brits are adaptable. We cannot simply observe passively whilst our cherished towns deteriorate before our eyes.
How to get to Folkestone from London
The quickest way to get to Folkestone is via train. A fastest direct Southeastern service from St Pancras International to Folkestone West takes 52 minutes. Alternatively if you plan on travelling by car the journey takes about one hour and 15 minutes on a clear run along the M20 from South East London.
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