Decision details

Proposed decision

As the Cabinet member for Highways and Transport I propose, subject to a successful bid to Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) for Levelling Up Fund Round 2 (LUF2) for £19,791,819 to deliver the Folkestone ‘A Brighter Future’ scheme, I agree to:

I.         Delegate to the Corporate Director of Finance the authority to enter into a delivery partner agreement with Folkestone and Hythe District Council, to deliver the transport and public realm elements of the Folkestone ‘A Brighter Future’ scheme aimed at improving gateway to town centre, public realm and town centre connections.

II.        Delegate to the Corporate Director of Growth, Environment & Transport the authority to enter into the appropriate land and development agreements, commission detailed design and relevant surveys and the award of the construction contract, and all other acts and consents and any subsidiary contracts required to allow the scheme to be implemented.

III.      Delegate to the Corporate Director of Growth, Environment & Transport, under the Officer Scheme of Delegations following prior consultation with the Cabinet Member, any further or other decisions as may be appropriate to deliver the Folkestone ‘A Brighter Future’ LUF.

Reason for the decision

Approval of highway improvement scheme proposals and authority to enter into a delivery partner agreement, progress with detailed design and award the construction contract.

Background

Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) has submitted a bid to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) for Levelling Up Fund Round 2 for £19,791,819 to deliver the Folkestone – A Brighter Future scheme.

The scheme aims to address the issues that the town centre currently faces. Folkestone town centre suffers from high vacancy rates and an overall poor-quality urban environment. It has been struggling over recent years and has seen a 16% drop in footfall over the last four years which has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Vacancy rates in the town centre currently are very high at 14.7% and the scheme will aim to reduce this through improved access and public realm.

The Folkestone – A Brighter Future scheme has three key areas of focus to improve Folkestone town centre:

1.    Station Arrival and Town Centre Connections

2.    Improved Gateway to the Town Centre and Bouverie Square

3.    Folca, Sandgate Road and Town Centre Public Realm

If the bid is not successful, then delivery of the scheme will not proceed and no further costs will be incurred. The officer time spent to date on assisting with the bid has been met from existing revenue; but if the bid is successful this will be capitalised against the project.

How the proposed decision supports Framing Kent’s Future 2022-2026 (https://www.kent.gov.uk/about-the-council/strategies-and-policies/corporate-policies/our-council-strategy)

Delivery of the Folkestone- A Brighter Future supports the first three priorities of Kent’s Future 2022-2026 as follows:

Levelling up Kent – Folkestone is a level 1 priority area as defined in the Levelling Up Fund criteria, meaning it is the highest priority for LUF intervention.

Infrastructure for communities – The scheme will enable the further and continued rejuvenation of the Folkestone area.

Environmental step change – The scheme promotes and encourages pedestrian and cycle travel to and within the town centre. The benefits of the scheme will help towards delivery of Kent’s goal towards carbon neutrality by 2050.

Options (other options considered but discarded)

As the potential delivery partner for the scheme; KCC were not involved in assessing the options for the scheme. FHDC developed the Folkestone Place Plan in 2021 to define the scope of the scheme. A total of six possible options were considered in the Folkestone Place Plan as follows: Station Arrival and Town Centre Connections, Improved Gateway to the Town Centre and Bouverie Square, Sandgate Road and Town Centre Public Realm, F51 Environs and Payers Park, Harbour Line & Tram Road, and Sunny Sands.

Following the creation of the six above options public consultation was sought to get an understanding of key stakeholders’ opinions of the proposals. Upon completion of this stage, it was concluded that three of the six projects would proceed as described in the background section above. The discarded options still present viable future projects however, as part of this scheme (Folkestone- A Brighter Future) will not be developed further.

The KCC options to consider regarding the scheme relate to accepting the delivery partner role or not:

Do nothing: Discarded - Do not act as delivery partner for the scheme; FHDC would have to manage this themselves. This would carry reputational risk as well as affect the relationship between KCC and FHDC. The timescales of the LUF2 grant would make it difficult for FHDC to deliver the highway works involved within the conditions of the grant.  There would be no additional cost to KCC but time spent on assisting with the bid to date would not be able to be capitalised and claimed from the LUF2 grant.

Do something: Act as delivery partner for the transport and public realm aspects of the scheme, ensuring that the works and materials are delivered to a high standard and do not present a maintenance liability going forwards.  This will also ensure that KCC has active involvement in the scheme design and delivery.  There will be no cost to KCC as all officer time and overheads will be capitalised against the project.

Data Protection implications

A DPIA is not required for the scheme.

As Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, subject to a successful bid to Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) for Levelling Up Fund Round 2 (LUF2) for £19,791,819 to deliver the Folkestone ‘A Brighter Future’ scheme, I agree to:

I.             Delegate to the Corporate Director of Finance the authority to enter into a delivery partner agreement with Folkestone and Hythe District Council, to deliver the transport and public realm elements of the Folkestone ‘A Brighter Future’ scheme aimed at improving gateway to town centre, public realm, and town centre connections.

II.            Delegate to the Corporate Director of Growth, Environment & Transport the authority to enter into the appropriate land and development agreements, commission detailed design and relevant surveys and the award of the construction contract, and all other acts and consents and any subsidiary contracts required to allow the scheme to be implemented.

III.          Delegate to the Corporate Director of Growth, Environment & Transport, under the Officer Scheme of Delegations following prior consultation with the Cabinet Member, any further or other decisions as may be appropriate to deliver the Folkestone ‘A Brighter Future’ LUF scheme.