What It Bought
Town-centre regeneration · Folkestone, United Kingdom

Folkestone - A Brighter Future

In progress Not complete. Figures for this programme are planned or interim unless marked actual.

£21.99m
Programme budget · Planned
GBP, 2023 prices
17 months
Calculated
7 Apr 2025 → today (12 Sep 2026)
Construction started
7 Apr 2025
Today
12 Sep 2026
Ongoing. This is elapsed time so far, not a final duration.
Construction time so far
7 Apr 2025 → today (12 Sep 2026)
5
Components
Pedestrian infrastructure, Public square, Public realm, Public transport, Greening
Aerial view of construction beside Folkestone bus station, with the town and coast beyond
Folkestone · Aerial view of the bus station works
New paving and construction machinery beside Folkestone bus station
Folkestone · Bus station works at street level
Bus stops and paving along the road at Middelburg Square in Folkestone
Folkestone · Middelburg Square

Overview

A Levelling Up Fund programme to reconnect Folkestone Central station with the town centre: new and improved crossings, a park replacing the Bouverie Square bus station, linear bus stops on Middelburg Square, new public realm on Sandgate Road and Guildhall Street, and greening with sustainable drainage. The council's bid grouped the works into three workstreams (Station Arrival and Town Centre Connections; Improved Gateway to the Town Centre and Bouverie Square; Folca, Sandgate Road and Town Centre Public Realm). The five components below are a descriptive grouping of the published works.

PlaceFolkestone, United Kingdom
Population51,995
Source

ONS built-up area, 2021
StatusIn progress
Programme period 18 Jan 2023 → expected Late 2026
Source
Public bodies Folkestone & Hythe District Council (Accountable body)
Kent County Council (Delivery partner)
UK Government (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) (Funding body)

Money

Programme-level figures. Component costs, where published, are listed under each component below and are a different concept from the programme total.

Programme cost estimate

Who paid

Main construction contract

Excluding vat. A contract value is money committed, not money spent, and covers only the works within that contract.

Per resident

£422.94
Calculated
£21,990,910 ÷ 51,995 residents
Programme budget (Planned) ↗
£21,990,910
Population, 2021 (ONS built-up area) ↗
51,995
Denominator is the ONS built-up area population.
headline figure ÷ ONS built-up area population

What is being built

Pedestrian infrastructure

Station Arrival and Town Centre Connections
Sources

New and improved crossings between Folkestone Central station, Radnor Park roundabout, Shorncliffe Road and Cheriton Road, and a 20mph town-centre scheme.

Size not published
Cost not published
In progress
  • 7 new crossings In progress
    Sources
    • Folkestone – A Brighter Future: project overview
      Folkestone & Hythe District Council · Government · accessed 12 Sep 2026
      Seven new crossings listed (Radnor roundabout ×2, Station Approach, Shorncliffe Road, Cheriton Road/Middelburg Square, Middelburg Square North, Foresters Way). One new signalised crossing reported complete in newsletter 14; the rest under way.
    • Folkestone – A Brighter Future newsletter, issue 14 (July 2026)
      Jackson Civil Engineering, hosted by Folkestone & Hythe District Council · Other · accessed 12 Sep 2026
      Seven new crossings listed (Radnor roundabout ×2, Station Approach, Shorncliffe Road, Cheriton Road/Middelburg Square, Middelburg Square North, Foresters Way). One new signalised crossing reported complete in newsletter 14; the rest under way.
  • 3 improved crossings Planned
    Source
  • 1 20mph town-centre scheme Planned
    Source
Public square

Bouverie Square / Town Centre Gateway
Sources

The bus station in Bouverie Square replaced by a public park with underground rainwater filtration; a play zone is at planning stage.

Size not published
Cost not published
In progress
Public realm

Sandgate Road and Guildhall Street Public Realm
Sources

Granite paving and public realm on Sandgate Road and Guildhall Street, with a new footbridge from Guildhall Street North.

Size not published
Cost not published
In progress
Public transport

Middelburg Square Public Transport Improvements
Sources

Six linear bus stops with green-roof shelters replacing the bus station, two subway infills and resurfacing of Middelburg Square.

Size not published
Cost not published
In progress
  • 2 subway infills Planned
    Source
  • 6 linear bus stops In progress
    Sources
    • Folkestone – A Brighter Future: project overview
      Folkestone & Hythe District Council · Government · accessed 12 Sep 2026
      Five south, one north, with green-roof shelters. Buses moved to the new stops in September 2025; shelters partially installed as of February 2026.
    • Folkestone – A Brighter Future newsletter, issue 15 (August 2026)
      Jackson Civil Engineering, hosted by Folkestone & Hythe District Council · Other · accessed 12 Sep 2026
      Five south, one north, with green-roof shelters. Buses moved to the new stops in September 2025; shelters partially installed as of February 2026.
Greening

Cheriton Road / Foresters Way Greening and Drainage
Sources

Rain gardens on Cheriton Road between Coolinge Road and Connaught Road, new greenscaping on Foresters Way and tree planting across the scheme.

Size not published
Cost not published
In progress

Timeline

Construction started7 Apr 2025 Actual
Sources
Original planned completionSummer 2026 Planned
Source
Current expected completionLate 2026 Planned
Source
  • Folkestone – A Brighter Future updates
    Folkestone & Hythe District Council · Government · 3 Dec 2025 · accessed 12 Sep 2026
    "works planned to finish in late 2026". Taken as 31 December 2026. Council report A/25/20 (Nov 2025) says Autumn 2026; the Contracts Finder end date is 18 October 2026.
Actual completionNot yet complete
Construction time so far
17 months
Calculated
7 Apr 2025 → today (12 Sep 2026)
Construction started
7 Apr 2025
Today
12 Sep 2026
Ongoing. This is elapsed time so far, not a final duration.
Programme duration
3 years 11 months
Calculated
18 Jan 2023 → Late 2026
Programme started
18 Jan 2023
Current expected completion
Late 2026
Ongoing. Uses the currently expected completion, taken as the last day of the stated period.
Schedule variance
+4 months
Calculated
Late 2026 − Summer 2026
Original planned completion
Summer 2026 (taken as 31 Aug 2026)
Current expected completion
Late 2026 (taken as 31 Dec 2026)
Currently expected. The programme is not complete, so this figure can still change.
Cost varianceAwaiting data The programme is not complete; no final expenditure exists yet.

Outcomes

Awaiting post-completion data No outcome indicators have been published for this programme, which is not yet complete.

Evidence

Evidence: Strong 14 sources · 9 government documents · 1 official statistics release · 2 procurement notices · 2 other documents

  1. Cabinet report C/22/86: Folkestone – A Brighter Future (Appendix 2, total project cost plan)
    Folkestone & Hythe District Council · Government · 22 Feb 2023 · accessed 12 Sep 2026
  2. Decision 22/00111: Folkestone – A Brighter Future, Levelling Up Fund
    Kent County Council · Government · 20 Jan 2023 · accessed 12 Sep 2026
  3. Levelling Up Fund Round 2: successful bidders
    Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities · Government · 18 Jan 2023 · accessed 12 Sep 2026
  4. One step closer to a brighter future for Folkestone
    Folkestone & Hythe District Council · Government · 20 Mar 2025 · accessed 12 Sep 2026
  5. Folkestone – A Brighter Future: Levelling Up Fund timeline
    Folkestone & Hythe District Council · Government · accessed 12 Sep 2026
  6. Folkestone – A Brighter Future updates
    Folkestone & Hythe District Council · Government · 3 Dec 2025 · accessed 12 Sep 2026
  7. Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021 (Folkestone built-up area, E63005914)
    Office for National Statistics · Official statistics · accessed 12 Sep 2026
  8. Folkestone – A Brighter Future: project overview
    Folkestone & Hythe District Council · Government · accessed 12 Sep 2026
  9. Contract award notice 2025/S 000-017865: SC24004 – Folkestone – 'A Brighter Future' Levelling Up Fund Scheme
    Find a Tender (UK Government) · Procurement notice · 30 Apr 2025 · accessed 12 Sep 2026
  10. Contract award: SC24004 – Folkestone – A Brighter Future Levelling Up Fund Scheme
    Contracts Finder (UK Government) · Procurement notice · 30 Apr 2025 · accessed 12 Sep 2026
  11. Folkestone – A Brighter Future newsletter, issue 14 (July 2026)
    Jackson Civil Engineering, hosted by Folkestone & Hythe District Council · Other · accessed 12 Sep 2026
  12. Folkestone – A Brighter Future newsletter, issue 15 (August 2026)
    Jackson Civil Engineering, hosted by Folkestone & Hythe District Council · Other · accessed 12 Sep 2026
  13. Greener horizons ahead with Folkestone – A Brighter Future
    Folkestone & Hythe District Council · Government · 8 Oct 2025 · accessed 12 Sep 2026
  14. Funding bid wins government backing
    Folkestone & Hythe District Council · Government · 19 Jan 2023 · accessed 12 Sep 2026

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