Shepway Metro

Folkestone suffers from poor car parking provision and although the new seafront development is to be 'the best place on two legs' there is still a potential problem for car parking within the area.

The objective must be to limit car use within the seafront area with priority being given to owners of the 750 new homes. Our solution would be to offer a convenient park and ride facility that would allow car owners to leave their vehicles out of the town centre and provide an attractive method of gaining access to the harbour and Creative Quarter then, via an interchange at the Leas Lifts, to the town centre. Ideally the car park should be associated with a station at Folkestone East to enable new residents in the Seafront Development access to High Speed 1 services.

This is a project that we have campaigned for and given evidence to Shepway's Transportation Workshops as an ambition that could only be delivered by the local authority.

The aim would be for a tram-train to start at Folkestone East and, stopping at East Cliff and the harbour, would then run along Marine Parade to the Leas Lifts. The fact that this would require operating along a public road means that this should be developed by the council.

We believe that the available land could hold between 400 and 500 cars with connection to the Leas Lifts being under 10 minutes.

Construction is likely to be new build for about one-third of its length plus four low level platforms and a small maintenance depot. To this should be added the new car park.

Copyright 2011 The Remembrance Line and Frizbee Terms Of Use Privacy Statement