Princes Parade timeline

December 2022

Cabinet members considered options relating to the site. It was agreed all outstanding pre-commencement planning conditions will be satisfied and some material works carried out to ensure the permission is implemented.

This would allow the land to be ready for construction and for the tendering process for the main contracts to start once the economy has settled.

The footpath south of The Sea View Bridge in Seabrook will remain open until works necessitate its closure. Hoardings on the boundary of the site will remain in place to keep the site secure.

As per the agreed remediation plans, air monitoring will be undertaken when any works necessitate excavation of the site.

October 2022

An individual Leader decision about the Princes Parade development is published.

It has been agreed to pause current spending on the scheme to assess the options available moving forward.

This prudent approach is being taken due to the current uncertainty in the financial and energy markets.

View the decision

October 2022

A report has been published regarding an individual Leader decision about the Princes Parade development in Hythe.

It sets out the up-to-date financial considerations surrounding the project against the context of council finances and the turmoil in the energy and financial markets.

The report recommends pausing current spending on the project pending further officer recommendations on how to proceed.

The decision will be taken on 31 October 2022 and published.

View the report

September 2022

Data from soil samples taken from the site are published. It shows that no detectable amounts of contaminants have been found within the ground where samples were taken.

Analysis relating to checks for airborne particles have also been made public.

View the Soil sample data published in September 2022 (PDF,1.12MB)

View the Airborne particle data from checks conducted in August 2022 (PDF. 13.27MB)

August 2022

The footpath of The Sea View Bridge in Seabrook has now been reopened.

This is in direct response to residents' requests to keep it accessible for as long as possible until work starts on the Princes Parade site in early September.

A number of car parking spaces at the Sea Point car park will be suspended from 7am on Monday (22 August) to allow this to happen.

July 2022

Air tests are regularly carried out to ensure the safety of the public. Six different monitors at various locations on the site are checking for any asbestos fibres released due to ground disturbance.

Only 1.5 fibres were detected in a recent sample of 2,800 litres of air. This is below the quantification limit and therefore no further action is required.

Effective mitigations such as water suppression are being used on site when materials have to be excavated. If threshold levels are exceeded, then extra measures will be implemented.

July 2022

The footpath south of The Sea View Bridge in Seabrook will be closed from 25 July to allow hoardings to be put in place. This work will take up to four weeks to complete.

There will be no direct pedestrian access to Princes Parade from Sea Road as a result. A diversion route will be clearly set out.

Following requests to keep the footpath accessible for as long as possible, it will be reopened by 19 August and remain so until work starts on site in early September.
We appreciate this closure may cause some inconvenience - but the safety of residents is our main priority.

June 2022

As with any major construction project, hoardings will be erected around the boundary of the site to protect residents and visitors to the area. They will be removed in phases as different areas are opened up to the public.

Unfortunately that means the Royal Military Canal play area at the Seapoint Car Park will need to close in early September. These facilities will be replaced by a destination play area and accessible open grass areas as the project progresses.

March 2022

Compaction testing works will be carried out at Princes Parade from 21 March.

A vibratory roller with active monitoring and GPS tracking will be on site for a couple of days as we continue to prepare for the construction of high quality and accessible facilities.

There will be no disturbance of any contaminated ground - the machinery will only be compacting the top surface. No dust or nuisance is expected to be generated by the work.

February 2022

Further clearance work begins at Princes Parade. You can find out more about it here.

The latest phase - mainly grass cutting and the removal of large shrubs - was deliberately scheduled outside the key ecology calendar to help protect birds and other wildlife.

It was overseen by suitably qualified ecologists. Replacement trees and enhanced landscaping will be introduced onto the site once construction work has been completed in early 2024.

Following a discussion by councillors, the General Fund Medium Term Capital Programme was approved on 10 February 2022. This means the funding required to proceed with the project is available.

January 2022

Cabinet members discussed various key aspects of the Princes Parade project. Questions about contamination were asked and a summary of the remediation strategy can be found here.

Topics included:

• The financial capital and revenue provision to complete the project. The cost of delivering the project now stands at £45,300,579 - an increase of around £16.5 million. This has been caused by a number of factors including the near 18-month delay caused by legal action, improved knowledge of the site, and inflation and the supply chain issues which all major projects are currently subject to. 
• Confirming the appointment of preferred build contractor BAM Construct to deliver the leisure centre, the realignment of Princes Parade and construction of western car park, provision of a widened and traffic-free promenade, and the creation of a new linear park adjacent to the Royal Military Canal.
• The appointment of preferred leisure centre operator Freedom Leisure on an initial 10-year contract, with an optional five-year extension at the discretion of the council. Freedom Leisure runs similar facilities in Ashford and Sandwich.
• Additional funding to install solar cells on the leisure centre as part of the council's green agenda.
• The legally binding covenant to protect the scheme's parkland and open space from any future development proposals.

Permissions for a sub-station to supply the new leisure centre with power, and the installation of two storm water outfall pipes leading from the development onto the beach are granted by the planning and licensing committee.

Folkestone & Hythe District Council's application for a stopping up and diversion order at Princes Parade is granted.

Following a request by objectors, the submission was subject to a public inquiry that was held at the Leas Cliff Hall and Civic Centre in October and November 2021. It was overseen by independent inspector Owen Woodwards.
A letter published by the Department for Transport read: "The Secretary of State agrees with the inspector's comments that the order would bring many benefits - including safer and more varied car parking opportunities, improved car parking for the disabled, improved cycle routes, and improved highway safety."

You can find out more about the announcement by reading our press release or by viewing the decision documentation below.

View the Stopping up of highway at Princes Parade: Decision letter (PDF, 151.54KB)

View the Stopping up of highway at Princes Parade: Inspector's report (PDF,214.69KB)

View the Stopping up of highway at Princes Parade: Order (PDF,50.33KB)

Visit our Princes Parade Stopping Up Order Public Inquiry page to view the documents relating to the inquiry.