The Harbour Plan, Folkestone for Folkestone Harbour & Seafront Development Company with A IS FOR ARCHITECTURE and Spacehub

The 4.4-hectare Harbour Plan marks the final phase of the Folkestone Seafront redevelopment, transforming brownfield land into a vibrant coastal neighborhood. Submitted for planning in January 2024, the project includes 410 residential units (54 affordable) and 7,500 sq m of commercial space across 54 units, supporting local businesses. Housing options include apartments, duplexes, and townhouses. The historic Harbour Master’s House will provide office space. The 1,964 sq m of retail and food venues has already created 81 jobs while the full regeneration will deliver 303 additional jobs.

Who is on the project team? (designer, consultants, etc)

Lead Consultant and Architect: A IS FOR ACHITECTURE

Project Management: Spider Project Management

Landscape Architects: Spacehub

Structure and Façade: Eckersley O’Callaghan

MEP, Sustainability and Fire Safety: Atelier Ten

Planning Consultants: Savills

Transport: Pell Frischmann

Heritage: Stephen Levrant Heritage Architecture

Inclusive Design: Proudlock Associates

Building Control: Harwood Building Control

Community Engagement: Maxim PR

Describe the context of this project, its neighbourhood and people.

Folkestone’s history is deeply tied to its harbour, once a thriving port and seaside destination. However, with the decline of the channel crossing, fishing, and tourism industries, the area fell into disrepair. Acquired by the Folkestone Harbour & Seafront Development Company, the Harbour station and adjacent area reopened as a public promenade in 2018, with food stalls and family entertainment. The A IS FOR ARCHITECTURE designed Harbour Plan focuses on the last three plots in the Folkestone Seafront development, reimagining the area around the former warehouses and marshalling yard. Despite covering only three plots, the project was developed within the broader masterplan framework, integrating existing "meanwhile uses" and creating a cohesive neighbourhood that considers pedestrian movement and visual connections. Seaside towns like Folkestone face a "coastal paradox"—expected to thrive but often left depressed after the decline of traditional industries. While this transformation can be challenging, it is essential for the area’s reinvention. Places like Hamburg and Aarhus have shown how harbour areas can be successfully transformed into residential neighbourhoods.

Please describe your approach to this future place and its mix of uses. How will it function as a vibrant place? How does it knit into, and serve the needs of, the wider area? 

The main question that the project posed to the design team was - how can one take a few plots from an already consented outline planning application and re-think them as a vibrant and open neighbourhood with as much area as possible for public enjoyment, that enhances the character of the Harbour by referencing its history and connection to the sea and generate a sense of community for its residents? We believed the answer is in the site: in its layered history, in the views towards landmarks, in the success of the meanwhile uses, in the way people spend time by the water. From the beginning we challenged the outline planning permissions ‘jelly mould’ and the successive illustrative designs that showed a privatised podium scheme with little or no public access across the site. This was achieved by focusing on access and pedestrian flow, placing the buildings perpendicular to the harbour and creating passages that provide views out to the most iconic features in Folkestone, namely the Old Lighthouse, the Martello Tower and the landscape of the Warren and the Bayle area. It was also crucial to make the local traders part of the conversation and bring the meanwhile uses into the permanent scheme, preserving their independence and lo-fi appeal.

What is the social and environmental impact of the project? For example, how will the carbon use and material impact of the development be mitigated? What is the sustainability strategy? How will this future place contribute to the economic, environmental and social wellbeing of its citizens?

The proposed urban quarter will ensure the harbour’s long-term economic viability, offering diverse commercial and retail opportunities while creating a sustainable living environment that extends beyond individual buildings. Central to this vision prioritizing sunlight access, outdoor comfort, and year-round usability for residents and the local community. The design responds to the site’s unique conditions, balancing wind, sun, and shading needs while ensuring privacy and sea views. The project targets LETI 2025 goals for operational and embodied carbon but it goes further by incorporating future-proofing strategies for potential regulatory changes and allowing the design to incorporate a larger amount of timber than is currently accepted. The landscape component contributes a significant public offer compared to the previous inward-looking proposals. This will include new civic public realm facing back towards the harbour itself; a shingle garden; a garden square; a series of streets and lanes; and a pedestrian boardwalk along the beach. Additionally, through detailed engagement with the Crown Estate, the reconstructed revetment will include a new seafront park in addition to protecting the town from rising sea levels. The character of these spaces will draw on a rich context of existing local open spaces such as the Lower Leas Coastal Park, The Warren, and Dungeness.