Streets and Squares

The ‘Streets and Squares’ initiative is a vital ingredient in the regeneration of Folkestone.

In the town centre, work has already been carried out to improve the streetscape with funding from the Channel Corridor Partnership, Shepway DC, Kent County Council and the European Union in order to attract business into the town, increase footfall and spend, improve access, and change the image of Folkestone for the better.

These initial phases of the initiative have already seen great success. Town centre retail rents have increased over the past year and town centre vacancies have dropped markedly from a figure of 24% in 2003.

The Old High Street in the Creative Quarter has benefited from refurbishment and improved lighting to enhance its ambience. In addition, Sandgate Road and parts of Guildhall Street have been transformed into a high quality environment through the use of granite slabs, porphyry setts, and modern lighting and street furniture.

Rendezvous Street has recently been upgraded to provide a consistent and inviting link between the retail core and the Creative Quarter and Seafront. This phase was complete in Summer 2005, at which point the remainder of Guildhall Street was refurbished. This street provides the main linkage between the retail centre and the Guildhall North Neighbourhood Renewal Area, one of the most deprived areas of Folkestone.

There are also key secondary shopping areas that are struggling due to the poor quality public realm and need improving in order to bring them up to the standard of the core retail area. West Terrace needs to be upgraded not only to reach the same quality as the rest of the retail area, but also to provide a better linkage between the shopping area and the bus station. This will encourage the use of public transport to and from the town and hence reduce the dependency on car usage. There is also a need for public realm improvements to help improve links between the main shopping areas and the Leas and Coastal Park.

Importantly, to support the development of the Creative Quarter by the Creative Foundation, a partnership has been developed to carry out a traffic assessment of Tontine Street to investigate ways to improve the streetscene and improve through traffic.