Ship Street Folkestone: 70 Years of Dereliction Ends as Council Pushes Ahead with 135-Home Gasworks Redevelopment

After lying derelict for decades, the former gasworks off Ship Street is finally inching toward a new life. Folkestone & Hythe District Council has submitted an outline planning application (with all matters reserved) for up to 135 homes and 100 m² of flexible retail space on the long-vacant site. In a quirk of local government efficiency, the council has essentially applied to itself for permission – and observers dryly note that the authority is unlikely to refuse its own scheme. The proposal includes a mix of houses and apartments, with 22% affordable housing and even a new pocket park and “vehicle-free green link” footpath cutting through the site. Few in Folkestone will be surprised if this plan sails through the planning committee; after all, it’s not every day the council turns down a project backed by Fletcher Priest Architects and engineering firm Arup, especially one on land the council purchased to regenerate.

Council Unlikely to Refuse Itself

In a scenario akin to marking its own homework, the district council is both the applicant and the planning authority for the Ship Street development. The council’s cabinet already agreed in January to “offload the land” to a developer once outline permission is secured, so a rejection would amount to tripping over its own feet. The council acquired the 3.8-acre former gasworks in 2021 with £2.5 million of government Brownfield Land Release funding earmarked for cleanup. Having spent years and nearly £1.3 million on buying and designing the scheme, the council’s determination to see it approved is palpable. Public consultation on the plan runs until 9 October, but barring a bureaucratic plot twist, the local authority looks set to give itself the green light. As one might expect, the planning application’s fate is all but sealed; it turns out the surest way to win approval is to hold the rubber stamp.

The 70 Year Gaswork Saga

The Ship Street site has been an urban legend of inaction for nearly 70 years. Once home to Folkestone’s gasworks (established 1888) before operations ceased in 1956, the plot has remained largely derelict since the 1950s – a fenced-off wasteland and unofficial monument to procrastination. Demolition of old structures dragged on in phases up until 2001, yet redevelopment never followed. A major hurdle has always been contamination: decades of gas production left a toxic legacy in the soil and groundwater. The previous owner (National Grid) undertook partial remediation in 2009–2011 to make the site “generally suitable” for housing by the standards of the time. They removed gasholders and even pumped out 175 litres of oily residue in 2011, but it wasn’t a full cleanse. Indeed, a recent environmental assessment found plenty of stubborn pollutants still lurking. Ground investigations as late as 2022 confirm that residual Contamination remains in pockets of soil and even in the chalk aquifer below. In characteristically understated language, the technical report notes “residual product within the aquifer… requires further investigation” – engineer-speak for “there’s still something nasty down there.” In short, this brownfield has been a black spot on Folkestone’s map for generations, with locals growing accustomed to its rusty gates and “Keep Out” signs. Little wonder the council is eager to transform what one official called a long-standing eyesore into something far more useful (and less flammable).

Outline Plans and Grand Visions

The new outline planning application (25/1316/FH) sets only broad parameters for the scheme – details like design, exact layout and building heights will be settled later. This flexible approach is deliberate: it lets the future developer tweak plans within agreed limits. As the planning documents put it, “The proposed outline parameters provide flexibility for the future reserved matters applications to provide a mix of houses and apartments, of an appropriate size and tenure mix.” In other words, the council is keeping its options open, outlining maximums of 135 homes and 100 m² of commercial space, but leaving room to adjust the mix of townhouses vs. flats when the time comes.

Despite the lack of fixed details at this stage, the vision for the site is painted in bold (and somewhat rose-tinted) strokes. “Our vision for the Ship Street development is of a new sustainable neighbourhood with connections to the past as well as to the sense of change in wider Folkestone,” the masterplan’s authors proclaim. The scheme aims to blend heritage and modernity – no small task on a tar-black plot of land. Notably, the design team has pledged to retain the historic brick perimeter walls along Ship Street and Bournemouth Road, vestiges of the Victorian gasworks era.

The idea is to keep a link to the site’s industrial past even as new buildings and green spaces rise behind those walls. The project is being led by Fletcher Priest Architects with Arup’s planners and engineers, so it comes with a pedigree. Early illustrations show ranks of contemporary buildings and a landscaped central corridor where once stood gas holders. The outline plan also promises new pedestrian routes and a “green link” parkland path through the heart of the estate, plus a “pocket park” for residents to enjoy. It’s an ambitious attempt to turn a blight into a flourishing community asset. Whether the final design ends up looking like the glossy sketches or gets watered down by reality, the intent is clear: Ship Street’s future should be a far cry from its sooty past.

Health Impact: Green Links andAffordable Homes

Any development on this site isn’t just about new bricks and mortar – it’s also being sold as a boost to local wellbeing. A Health Impact Assessment filed with the plans underscores the challenges facing the surrounding East Folkestone community. The area ranks “among the 10% most deprived” nationally on multiple indices – including income, employment and crime – and has long suffered from neglect. Poor health outcomes and limited access to amenities are part of the picture. In this context, the Ship Street project is pitched as a chance to stitch up a wound in the urban fabric and uplift the neighborhood. The scheme will provide a “policy-compliant” 22% affordable housing allocation, meaning roughly one in five of the new homes will be offered at below-market prices to local families in need. While 22% affordable isn’t exactly transformative, it meets the council’s own target and is expected to bring some relief in an area starved of new housing options.

Crucially, the design also incorporates that central green link – a landscaped, car-free walkway threading east–west across the site. This isn’t merely a pretty footpath; it reconnects two sides of a community that have been split by barbed wire for decades. The green link will make it easier to walk or cycle from the Foord Road side to the Bournemouth Road side (and onwards to the town centre), improving accessibility and encouraging active travel.

Along with smaller public spaces and play areas, it aims to foster social interaction and a bit of nature in the dense urban environment. The Health Impact report suggests such features can help address some of the local deprivation factors – offering safer routes, greenery, and communal space where currently there is none. It’s a modest step, but in a ward that statistics show is severely disadvantaged, every pocket park and affordable flat is touted as a positive change. As the planning statement earnestly puts it, this is about creating “a new sustainable neighbourhood” that benefits existing residents as much as new ones. Whether all these community benefits pan out in practice will depend on the developer’s commitment, but the blueprint is there. At the very least, a well-lit path and some greenery beat a locked gate and contaminated soil.

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