FUMING residents say their picturesque seaside town is being ruined by an “ugly” development which looks like something from The Flintstones.
New plans for Folkestone Harbour in Kent have sparked outrage among locals who hate the latest designs.
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Planning permission had already been granted to the developer, Folkestone and Hythe Seafront Development Company (FHSDC) in 2015.
But homeowners have blasted the company for dramatically changing the designs of the proposed 720 to 1,000 homes.
FHSDC saw their amended plans approved once again in 2018 – but now residents are rebelling.
Members of the Legends of Folkestone Facebook page have banded together and kick-started their own campaign against the development.
Local Georgina Baker, who launched the petition, told KentOnline: “The old designs took much more consideration into the area around it.
“The buildings were more subtle and so distant from the designs we’re seeing now.
“They still looked too high, but aesthetically it was definitely an improvement on what we are now being shown.
“They are so futuristic and out of place.”
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When company bosses started the process back in 2012, they said: “This outline plan is an important step towards realising a once-in-a-century opportunity to create a seafront of which Folkestone can be proud.
“The challenges are enormous but we are determined to get the formula right, even if this takes time.”
However, Mark Hourahane, vice-chairman of the New Folkestone Society, favoured the original designs.
He said the latest artistic impressions are “alien to Folkestone”, whereas the 2015 images “were rather more in keeping”.
BRICKING IT
One fuming resident, Simon Masters, posted in the community Facebook group and wrote of the old plans: “This would have been perfectly acceptable, and I would actively support such a scheme.”
“What a shame they didn’t stick to this. It looks beautiful,” agreed a another.
Others vented their shock about how much the designs had transformed.
“It’s funny how that changed from low density and relatively easy on the eye to what the latest plans are now,” penned one.
“Welcome to bedrock,” one KentOnline reader said, with another adding: “Yabba dabba doo!”
A third went as far as to describe the overall aesthetic of the buildings as “heroically ugly”.
“The architect seems to have studied both Antoni Gaudi and Friedensreich Hundertwasser, while somehow managing to learn nothing from either,” they added.
But despite residents’ fury, construction of the Shoreline Crescent flats on the seafront has already been completed.
The townhouses are priced anywhere from £1.8million to £3million.
HOUSE OF SAND
In a statement, a spokesman for FHSDC added the detailed designs are “aligned to design parameters set by the planning permission”.
“Our Folkestone harbour and seafront masterplan has outline planning permission and the harbour plots F, G and H are part of this permission,” he said.
“We are developing detailed designs to address specific matters reserved by our outline planning permission and we are taking onboard feedback received through the consultation process.
“Several of the approved documents provide illustrations of how the scheme might look once the design is developed.
“These images are for illustrative purposes to demonstrate the scale and density of the development.
“Several historic applications were submitted for the Folkestone Harbour and seafront area and many included illustrations.
“The correct illustrations to refer to are those included within our 2018 amendment to the outline permission.
“This amendment was made after extensive public consultation. It updated the masterplan design guidelines and parameters to align with the Acme masterplan.”
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