Part 3: Sir Roger De Haan – Is he or isn’t he gentrifying Folkestone?

Updated: 9 July @ 12:15

In 2001 & 2004, Nick Ewbank (pictured) then Director of the Metropole Arts Centre and later the Artistic Director / Trustee, of the  The Creative Foundation, stated that he would “gentrify Folkestone”. As the person who initially led the Creative Foundation for Sir Roger De Haan, it is clear the purpose of the Creative Foundation was to “gentrify” our Town.

But what is gentrification?

Well a good definition would be:

“Gentrification” characterizes development that raises urban neighbourhoods socially and culturally for the benefit of some, but often at the expense of the original residents. They no longer recognize their neighbourhood and many have to move because rents are rising.”

In recent years the claims of gentrification have grown. Many of these claims centre around the Harbour & Seafront development as they are pushing locals out, and bringing in new people who can afford the increase in rents, and house prices driven by HS1, low interest rates and Sir Roger’s investments. 

Before moving on, we must go back in time. In April 2003, Folkestone Harbour went up for sale. A month later, plans to redevelop the Rotunda site, by Trent Developments were put on show. Between April and Oct 2003, the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust begins buying up property in The Old High Street & Tontine Street. In August 2004, Sir Roger was successful in purchasing the Harbour for £11m.

On 17 Jan 2005, Sir Roger via his company, promise’s to improve the Port of Folkestone and ferry services.

On 26 July 2005, Y05/0084/SH and Y05/0085/SH went before the then Shepway District Council Development Control Committee (now the Planning Committee). Both applications were submitted by Trent Property Developments (Folkestone) Ltd, and led by Toby Atkinson (pictured)

The Trent plan was approved, the development on the Rotunda site and land where Indigo’s nightclub was, consisted of 671 flats, a 150-bed hotel, restaurant, multiplex cinema and bowling alley.

In the same month, Roger De Haan as he then was, said the Trent plan was on a scale of Benidorm.

In Sept 2005, more than 200 protestors demonstrated against the Trent plans to build nearly 700 flats on Folkestone seafront.

Arts-led Regeneration and Community Cohesion: A study of Folkestone, Kent

states:

Concerns were raised about the possible gentrification of the area around the creative quarter and the problems encountered in generating an inclusive sense of community around the Creative Foundation (now Creative Folkestone). It was generally acknowledged that recent arts activity was not bringing people together across divides in Folkestone and that it was, in fact, potentially exacerbating previous divides by ‘west-ifying’ the centre of Folkestone to the exclusion of both current and previous residents and with the displacement of anti-social and criminal activity to the east.

The report goes onto say:

The west/east split was discussed by all but one interviewee and generally seen as a separation between rich and poor in the town. It is clear that central and east Folkestone suffer from specific problems around anti social behaviour and that, to some degree, crime may be being exported from this area to the more affluent communities in the west of the town. This spatial socio-economic divide has been exacerbated by housing policy in the district, which has tended to cluster social housing in the east of the town.

The last sentence is very revealing as it clearly identifies the Council as being part of the problem for the East/West divide. 

And the report further states:

It was generally acknowledged by interviewees that there is little social contact between the communities of east and west Folkestone.

It is clear then gentrification has been on an issue for the last 20 years, as well as there being an East – West divide in the town; which has been around for even longer.

In March 2007, Shepway District Council (now FHDC) agreed a “change of use” for Folkestone Harbour from being an international rail connected cross-channel ferry port. This allowed the owner, Sir Roger, to turn the site “into seaside housing developments for huge profit.”

In April 2007, Sir Roger buys the Rotunda site for £21,339,500.

In 2008, an article in the Financial Times states:

De Haan has set up a charitable trust to renovate properties and retain them on 125-year leases to guard against artists being priced out post-gentrification – twice as likely once a high-speed rail link to London opens in 2009 which should slash journey times to under an hour.

Also in 2008, Sir Norman Foster masterplan is put on hold due to the economic crash.

In Dec 2009, new scaled-down seafront plans drawn up by Sir Terry Farrell were announced

In 2010 – Sir Terry Farrell seafront plans unveiled at public consultation events. The public consultation ran from 19th May to 9th July 2010. The consultation involved 3,195 children and students, as well as 273 adults, who completed the Folkestone Seafront consultation survey.  

The conclusion to the new approach to Folkestone Seafront was:

“Some of the younger children (and a few adults) expressed concerns about the proposals to erect homes on the shingle beach”,

and the

“younger respondents were also keen to see ice-cream kiosks and sweet shops too!” 

On 12th July 2011, Report Number C/11/16 was published by the Council. It talks about a BOSCO Interreg IVa project to ‘bring under-used maritime spaces back into use‘ – “Helping to contribute towards one of the District’s regeneration priorities – taking forward Folkestone Seafront and Harbour” and “promote the Folkestone Seafront and Harbour area both locally and internationally and add value to the ambitious Seafront Masterplan.“. Such as turning the Port of Folkestone and the ferries operational land over into housing.

The deal saw the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust pay €1,018,100 or £783,154, and Shepway District Council €286,620 or £220,477, towards the project.

On 15th December 2011, an update presentation on the latest on Roger De Haan’s seafront “Masterplan” idea, was reported in the local press, the scheme had changed and had some 1,400 new homes. The presentation was given to 180 visitors on 9th December, by the architect Toby Denham and Trevor Minter, from the Folkestone Harbour Company.

On the 1 Oct 2012, Sir Terry Farrell’s plans for the seafront are submitted as Planning Application_Y12/0897/SH to the then Shepway District Council. It comprised 1000 dwellings (C3), up to 10,000 square metres of commercial floorspace including A1, A3, A4, A5, B1, D1 and D2 uses as well as seasports and beach sports facilities. Improvements
to the beaches, pedestrian and cycle routes and accessibility into, within and out of the seafront and harbour, together with associated parking, accompanied by an Environmental Statement.

In November 2012, well known local heritage architect, Roger Joyce, submitted an online objection, calling for a public inquiry, as the “buildings exceeding the height of The Leas, and as high as The Burstin at the East end, are proposed.“

In March 2013, a Times article made it clear that Folkestone was the fifth coolest place to live. Again this was canny indirect marketing; which drove house prices up and rents.

On the 31 July 2013, Sir Roger was granted planning permission for Y12/0897/SH. However, there were stipulations, these being nothing could start until the core strategy had been adopted, that the s106 agreement was sorted out, and the key conditions be sorted. 

In the 2014 New Year’s Honours List, Roger De Haan (pictured) was knighted, for being a “hugely generous and active philanthropist”. He visited Buckingham Palace in May 2014, to collect his gong. 

In June 2014, the demolition of the Harbour railway station begun.

In Oct 2014, the then Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Sajid Javid MP, was invited to Folkestone and to look around that year’s Trinneial.

During the walkabout he was suitably impressed, with how cultural regeneration could revive a town. During the tour he had time to stop off and speak privately with Sir Roger at the Quarterhouse.

On the 29 Jan 2015, the first Section 106 for Y12/0897/SH was put in place. On the 30 Jan 2015, the the planning application decision was granted, along with the conditions.

In 2016, an article in The Guardian made it clear Sir Roger’s development was:

“not a development for local people. All the primary benefits are for people moving in or for visitors.”

it goes onto say,

“Ward & Partners estate agents in Folkestone, says there is a growing influx of wealthy out-of-town buyers, particularly from London, accounting for up to 40% of sales in the last 14 months.”

The article goes onto say:

“experts on seaside regeneration warn that the project by local philanthropist and former Saga group tycoon Roger De Haan’s Folkestone Harbour Company risks a polarising gentrification of one of the town’s most deprived areas, with only 8% of the new homes classed as affordable.

Then in 2017, James Kennell of Greenwich University submitted a PhD. In his thesis he makes it clear the arts and cultural regeneration of Folkestone was imposed upon the town by a private organisation, identify the “Creative Quarter and its wider area“. However  he makes it clear this has led to “serious local concerns about gentrification and exclusion“.

On the 04 Sept 2017, Savills for and on behalf of Sir Roger submits new plans for the Harbour & Seafront under a s73 application, Y17/1099/SH. The application  was linked to the Planning Permission Y12/0897/SH granted initially in July 2013, and given the go ahead in 2015.

Now one of the ironies in life is how Karma works. Back in 2005, Sir Roger’s comment about the Trent Development being on the scale of Benidorm came back to haunt him, as locals and Cllrs alike likened the s73 application to Benidorm too. 

This application went before the planning committee on the 3 April 2018. The application was deferred to allow legal advice to be sought.

On the 6 April 2018 Christopher Lockhart-Mummery QC of Landmark Chambers submitted a Legal Opinion for and on behalf of the s73 application

The application came back before the planning committee on the 24 April 2018 and Cllrs were not allowed to see the legal advice, the Council had received from their legal advisors. The s73 application passed. At this meeting Cllr Susan Wallace, the ward Cllr and speaking against the application, asked the question ‘Do we want a Benidorm for Folkestone?‘

Mark Hourahane speaking against the s73 application, said the changes would ruin the “look and spirit forever“

Cllr Mary Lawes ward Cllr speaking against the application said: “It is akin to the Thames or Benidorm“

Trevor “Ming the Merciless” Minter speaking for the s73 application said:  “The seafront development is driven by a desire to improve the town, to stimulate the economy, and provide scores of jobs.” and followed up with ‘Sir Roger De Haan is not a conventional developer‘

The voting for s73 the application was finally approved on the 24 April, by the planning committee: For 7; Against 3; Abstentions 2. It finally received planning permission in December 2018, to begin.

What many don’t realise is, the building heights in the s73 application are actually lower than in the initial Y12/0897/SH application. Remember Roger Joyce the local Heritage architect’s comment in Nov 2012, the “buildings exceeding the height of The Leas, and as high as The Burstin at the East end, are proposed.“

Work began on the site in Jan 2020 at a cost of £44m for plot B, with an overall build out cost of £337m (2016 price), for the whole site.

Fast forward to 6 August 2021, and the Folkestone-Place-Plan-Urban-Appraisal drawn up by We Made That Plan, states:

Folkestone is increasingly becoming a ‘town of two halves’ as a result.

The research show that Folkestone is increasingly divided and unequal. It is simultaneously home to declining high streets, severe deprivation and poor quality town centre housing at the same time as a thriving creative quarter, growing visitor economy and beautiful natural assets.

The disparity in health, well-being & quality of life outcomes contributes to the sense of an increasingly divided town.

Given all that we have said in Part 1 and Part 2, and that the first Director of the Creavitive Foundation stated he’d “gentrify Folkestone“, do we believe Sir Roger De Haan has/is gentrifying Folkestone?

The answer is yes, he has contributed to genetrification in our honest opinion. One must not forget though, high house prices in London, low interest rates, the arrival of HS1 and some good marketing, have also played their part too. All the inward flow of people from London and elsewhere has driven up rents and turned locals into migrants. That said, if there had not been a Sir Roger in Folkestone, what would our town look like now?

Finally and importantly for history buffs, it’s not the first time housing has been proposed on the Harbour arm. Back in 1989, Sea Containers Property Services Ltd – ultimately owned in the offshore tax haven of Bermuda at the time, made and application for housing on the site, under SH/89/1352 this was for 409 – 1,2 & 3 bedroom apartments, and 97 – 3 & 4 bedroom apartments with moorings, total of 506  apartments. It also proposed a leisure centre of 22,000 sq ft and a festival centre of the same size. At this time there was no outcry of gentrification. 

How times change.

The Shepway Vox Team

The Velvet Voices of Voxatiousness