Multimillionaire's plans for biggest ever transformation of UK seaside town refused

Folkestone Harbour would person been transformed into a large-scale lodging improvement (Image: Getty)

The biggest-ever revamp of Folkestone Harbour successful Kent planned by multi-millionaire Sir Roger De Haan has been rejected by the section council.

Sir Roger bought the harbour for £11 cardinal successful 2004 and had projected to physique 410 homes and 54 leisure, hospitality and retail units connected the seafront.

Folkestone and Hythe District Council voted narrowly against the plans this week, with 5 councillors opposing the project, 4 successful favour and 1 abstaining from the vote, KentOnline reports.

The ambitious plans devised by the lad of Sidney De Haan, laminitis of the Saga vacation group, proved divisive among locals who questioned whether the improvement met lodging needs - with lone 8% of homes classifying arsenic affordable housing - and said they would beryllium visually obtrusive to the area.

Sir Roger has already built a fistful of awesome - and high-priced - houses connected the seafront (Image: Google)

The revamp, which would person been the largest-scale overhaul successful the harbour’s history, besides included a caller seafront park, a nationalist viewing terrace, shingle plot and caller pedestrian and cyclist routes.

It could besides person injected up to £12 cardinal into the town’s system and created 476 full-time jobs.

Residents didn’t get down the connection successful the mode the multi-millionaire whitethorn person hoped nevertheless - with implicit 90% of the 800-odd comments connected the council’s readying portal objecting to the scheme.

“The plans enactment guardant are excessive,” 1 idiosyncratic wrote. “The harbour volition go a shade municipality - obscurity to park, earthy views obscured by high-rise blocks and minimal places to devour and drink.”

The refusal came aft the plans were altered and downsized pursuing archetypal disapproval that they looked similar “something retired of the Flintstones”.

Sir Roger has invested millions of pounds into Folkestone successful the past 2 decades, including done a luxury lodging strategy already stretched crossed the Kent town’s seafront, immoderate of which are presently connected the marketplace for up to £2.1 million.

Rent successful Folkstone has risen by 36% since 2019 (Image: Getty)

The affluent philanthropist faced crisp disapproval for the project, which seemed aimed astatine an elitist lodging marketplace successful a municipality with small affordable lodging wherever the mean rent has risen by 36% since 2019, according to the Office of National Statistics - much than anyplace other successful Kent. The resulting backlash led The Independent to dub the artifact “Shoreditch-on-Sea”.

A spokesperson for his Folkestone Harbour & Seafront Development Company told the BBC: “We are considering our presumption pursuing decisions made astatine the council’s caller readying committee gathering and volition supply an update successful owed course.”

Folkestone was named 1 of the champion places to unrecorded successful southeast England past year, with the Times praising the larboard town’s “dazzling makeover” - owing successful portion to its burgeoning creation country but besides the tireless improvements elaborate successful Sir Roger’s “masterplan”.

In this latest large-scale expansion, however, helium whitethorn person pushed the locals excessively far.