02 March 2024 , 12:15
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A seaside town has been dubbed "the new Whitstable" after a dramatic transformation thanks to a massive cash injection.
The regeneration of seaside towns has been seen from Margate to Morecambe. But Folkestone on Kent's south coast has seen massive changes to surpass them all. People living there say it had seen better days ten years ago and looked like it was getting worse. Freelancer Alex Rodriguez, 31, described it as 'scary' when he first moved there.
Sir Roger De Haan bought the town's harbour in 2004 and planned to regenerate it. He decided to focus on the regeneration of education, buildings, the arts and sport which those living there say needed attention. Sir Roger invested £34million and architect Norman Foster designed a replacement which resulted in performance venues being created and investment in sports facilities.
The new-look Folkestone has been boosted by the creation of 84 apartments on the seafront. The exterior, locals say, has a Gaudi-esque look and inside the rooms are bathed in light because of tall windows.
They range from £430,000 for a one-bedroom flat to £2.2million for an upmarket penthouse. Six more are planned, The Harbour Arm has also been restored with a champagne bar and food stalls and along the seafront painted beach huts pepper the coastal path. The Old High Street has also been revamped with independent shops and studios like Whitstable on the north Kent coast.
Folkestone harbour is one of its key attractions (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Alex told the MailOnline: "I moved here in 2015 from Gran Canaria to work in a hotel and parts of the town, notably the harbour area, were scary — so I moved on to Canterbury. Then I heard about the changes going on, so in 2020 I moved back here with my husband and picked up a three-bedroom Victorian end-terrace house for £240,000." Alex added: "It has a really cosmopolitan atmosphere. There are lots of freelancers and we meet in a coffee shop twice a week, which gives a real sense of community."
London's St Pancras is just an hour which means newcomers are flocking to the area. The Mirror reported last year how the best seaside town in the UK has been crowned, with judges praising its beautiful coastline and quiet beaches.
A survey from Which? has ranked the UK's best seaside towns for staycations this year. More than 3,000 survey respondents ranked Britain’s seaside towns on the quality of the beaches, food and drink, tourist attractions and value for money. At the top of the pile once all the votes had been cast was
It scored five stars for the scenery, quality of the beach and seafront and peace and quiet. A visitor ‘Sarah E’ wrote on Tripadvisor: “What a beautiful beach!” Steeped in history, Bamburgh’s sandy shoreline is overlooked by the ruins of an ancient castle. A beachgoer said there was always “plenty of space so the beach never feels crowded”.