Let's Get Cracking on Folca
The F&HDC Cabinet Meeting of 11th February agreed the development plan and business case for the Folca2 building on Sandgate Road, Folkestone, as a mixed medical and commercial facility.
Works will commence within the next 6 weeks, and it is hoped the building will be open by 2028.
In supporting the £13m regeneration scheme, Tim Prater spoke in favour, and the proposal received unanimous Cabinet support. He said:
"This is a huge investment for the future of Folkestone, but one that has been meticulously put together, over years.
"When the Council bought in in 2020 I think we all agreed it was for the right reasons, and would all have been horrified that in 2026 it would not be open and working for Folkestone.
"That it has taken this long speaks volumes about how long it takes to get to an agreement with the NHS on space and terms, first through Folca 1, and when that proved impossible for them through Folca 2. there is a good reason this plan has now been put together with a "keep going regardless" option - we can't wait any longer.
"However I really hope the NHS will sign up on the terms they have agreed, and move in so we have that facility in central Folkestone from 2028. Patients have been patient enough.
"But what’s really exciting is this is not just a plan for use from 2028, but that if we agree it today its a real start on this project. Phase 1 works to spend LUF and other grant funding on separating Folca1 and Folca2, waterproofing, insulating, repairing and clearing the building will actually start by the end of March.
"And I think we can all agree is that what Folkestone needs right now is a big building project swinging into operation on Sandgate Road.
3.7.1 The commercial options for Folca 2 present a range of potential configurations across the building. At ground floor level, strategies include securing a larger single occupier, subdividing into smaller shopfront units, or adopting an arcade‑style layout to support incubator spaces. Each approach carries different implications for rental values, management requirements, and occupier demand. The basement offers opportunities for immersive leisure uses, aligning with market trends and sector rental levels, while the upper floors are best suited to office‑based occupancy by one or two organisations, reducing operational complexity.
"I keep hearing people saying that the Folca building would be an excellent space for various different types of leisure from escape rooms to laser quest, gaming hubs, bowling, food market and more.
"And I absolutely, totally agree. This is a mixed medical and commercial facility. Any operator that wants to come forward and look at running something like that in Folca - please talk to us about it. The doors of our agent, and Andy, are always open.
"We want Folca to be an attraction, and a place people will come. If you've got a business idea that will bring people and be financially viable: we're listening.
"And for the Medical facility: it brings together and gives new space that they have been trying to get for YEARS for Guildhall Surgery and Manor Clinic Surgery. Its a business case that allows them to do what they always wanted to do - expand their services to better serve their patients. They've been through the same dance with the NHS on new premises funding for years before we tried, and I can only promise we feel their pain, and hope that this scheme now delivers the purpose built, accessible space they want and need.
"In terms of its central location and accessibility, there are a lot more car park spaces (Asda, Sainsbury's, Pleydell Gardens, Middleburg Square Multi-storey, on street on The Leas and Sandgate Road) within a couple of minutes walk of Folca than there is at the moment for Guildhall Street, and they are closer than they are for the current Manor Road surgery. A number of those spaces are also free, including Sainsbury’s, ASDA if you buy something there, and of course Pleydell Gardens if you have a Resident Car Park Permit. There are also a lot of disabled bays pretty much right outside, taxi bays outside too and almost every bus in town stopping within 2 minutes walk.
"It’s not a slight improvement on the current locations, its light years ahead. And the reason we can make this happen? We own the building. In other locations we don't: we can't make this thing happen there. We can make it happen in Folca."
