A £22m project to regenerate Folkestone town centre is now more than halfway complete.
The complex scheme has been running for ten months with work continuing at seven different sites around the town.
The new linear bus station on Middelburg Square has progressed well, with some of the permanent bus shelters now installed. The temporary F1 and F2 bus stops will change from Monday 2 March to switch over to the permanent structures for these routes. Stagecoach staff will be onsite on Monday to help with any queries and customers can also visit the Stagecoach website or app for updates.
Cheriton Place will be the next site of works from Monday 2 March to Tuesday 24 April. Improvements to the footways and paving in this area means the entrance to Cheriton Place from Bouverie Road West will need to be blocked off to vehicles. Cheriton Place will still be accessible from Sandgate Road and become two-way with all parking bays on the street suspended to facilitate this. Pedestrian access remains and all businesses on Cheriton Place remain open as usual.
Efforts to return Bouverie Square to its former use as a garden square are ongoing with sustainable filtration tanks to use rainwater to water plants due to be fitted next month.
Some of Folkestone’s history has also been uncovered during the work with fragments of bronze age pottery found during works in Cheriton Road. These fragments are thought to date back to 1000BC. Excavations are ongoing in the area so more evidence of prehistoric Folkestone may be revealed later in the project.
Cllr James Butcher – Cabinet Member for Place Plan, Heritage, Tourism and District Economy – said: “With a scheme this complex, disruption is unavoidable and we appreciate how frustrating this can be. I’d like to thank residents, businesses and visitors for their patience while we shape a brighter future for Folkestone town centre.”
Visit folkestone-hythe.gov.uk/fabf for the latest progress and to sign up for email updates.