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Folkestone Parks and Pleasure Grounds Charity
Wednesday, 22nd July 2026 at 3:21pm

 

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Share this agenda point
  1. Cllr Jim Martin
  2. Mr Jake Hamilton
  3. Cllr Jim Martin
  4. Mr Andy Blaszkowicz
  5. Cllr Jim Martin
  6. Cllr Tim Prater
  7. Mr Andy Blaszkowicz
  8. Cllr Jim Martin
  9. Cllr Stephen Scoffham
  10. Cllr Jim Martin
  11. Mr Andy Blaszkowicz
  12. Cllr Jim Martin
  13. Webcast Finished

Cllr Jim Martin - 0:00:06
Good evening and welcome to the meeting of the Folkestone Parks and Pleasure Ground charity.
This meeting will be webcast live to the internet.
For those who do not wish to be recorded or filmed, you will need to leave the chamber.
The members, officers and others speaking at the meeting, it is important that the microphones
are used so viewers on the webcast and others in the room may hear you.
Would anyone with a mobile phone please switch it to silent mode as they can be distracted?
So good evening everyone and welcome.
So if we could start with apologies for absence, Jake.
Thank you, leader.
Mr Jake Hamilton - 0:00:55
We have apologies from Councillor Butcher.
Councillor Butcher, okay.
Thank you very much.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:00:58
Does anyone have any declarations of interest to make?
I can't see anything, jolly good, okay.
So the next item is the minutes to agree as a true record
the minutes of the meeting held on the 25th of March.
You're happy to propose Councillor Pater, yes?
Oh sorry, representative Pater, sorry, my bad.
So all those in favour, please indicate.
Oh, sorry, I'm very happy to second, so thank you.
So thank you very much, everyone.
So moving on then to the only substantive item,
the update report.
So, this report provides the Charity Board of Trustees with an update in relation to
all those decisions taken by the Chief Officer, Corporate Estate and Development since January
2026 under his delegated authority to deal with charity assets.
Andy, you're going to take us through this, are you?
Thank you.
Mr Andy Blaszkowicz - 0:02:21
Thank you, Chair.
It's not a great massive report this month, or this period rather. A couple of things on here. Lower
Sandgate Road, rec, so the coastal park, the projects to refurbish the play area,
which of course comprises both charity and council land, has progressed really
well and is looking absolutely amazing down there. It's scheduled for completion next week.
It's pretty much finished now. Snagging is commencing I believe tomorrow.
or snagging inspections with opening planned for the following week, for the end of next week rather,
with the official opening the following week on the plan for the 4th of August.
The beach huts at Marine Walk has a load of damage as you're aware through storm
Goretti back in January. This meant that five beach huts were lost and several others were
damaged. All the repairs have been completed and an order has been placed now for the replacement
the hearts which should arrive in August. Since the start of 2026, 11 tenants have
served notice to end their leases and the estates officers are engaging with
people from the waiting list to offer new leases. Eastcliffe and the Warren
pleasure ground officers are continuing negotiations with the incumbent tenant
to agree a seven -year lease for the Little Switzerland campsite. The tenant
is minded to agree a higher rent on the basis that they can make additions to
the site including increased car parking capacity and static caravan provision.
The proposals are currently being worked through with the tenant.
The last report recommended the vacant Warren campsite is left to return to nature and officers
are now working with the White Cliffs countryside partnership to oversee this process, which
may require funding to demolish existing buildings and we'll address that through the budget
setting process later this year.
A new licence for excavation works at Jocks Pitch has been agreed with Canterbury Archeological
Trust for the sum of 26, 27 and 28.
They commenced works last month and an open day is scheduled for the 25th of July when
the public are invited to attend.
Creative folks intend on keeping two of the artworks from the 2025 Triennial on charity
land for a further three years.
They will be applying for planning permission and officers will agree a new lease for the
three years.
Happy to answer any questions.
Councillor Prita.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:04:39
Thank you.
Thank you.
Just a couple of things.
Cllr Tim Prater - 0:04:45
Firstly, really well done on the Coastal Park play area.
I know how hard you and the team had worked
to try and get it open for the absolute beginning
of the school holidays.
Two have only missed that by a few days.
I think it's still gonna be remarkable
to get that open next week.
So really well done and I hope that the snagging goes
as smoothly as snagging can possibly go.
And no issues are found. So thank you for doing that.
In terms of the beach huts, obviously 11 tenants served their notice.
Presumably they weren't immediately re -let because we had a number of damaged and missing huts
and therefore you were managing the process of not filling them immediately at that stage.
The charity would have lost a certain amount of rent though for those voids,
pretty much therefore caused by Storm Guaretti.
Is that part of an insurance claim that we get back lost rent on that one?
That one question which I have there.
And a second one just on the Warren campsite.
I totally understand the returning to nature of the Warren campsite
and that it can no longer be used for that purpose.
And demolishing the block therefore seems to make a lot of sense.
However, it is also the only toilet facility down by the Warren
and we now have a beach, we will then have a beach at the Warren
without I think any toilet facilities anywhere nearby and a pretty low bin facilities
despite the fact it is often very well used by residents.
Can we just have a think through as we go through that process in terms of demolition of things
what services we can have in order to support the Warren and the beach which is really well used at the summer
because it is a very long walk from the Warren to the nearest toilet back up on Jocks B**** at that stage
and I'd be concerned if people felt that they weren't going to make that walk. That's it. Thanks.
Mr Andy Blaszkowicz - 0:06:39
Thank you. With regards to the beach huts, the damage and the vacancy levels, I'd have to cheque.
If that's covered by the insurance, I would assume so, but I need to cheque.
And the toilets at the campsite, I don't believe we operate those.
So I'm going to have to look into that and I'll come back to you.
Councillor Schaffer.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:07:02
Cllr Stephen Scoffham - 0:07:06
Just picking up on the Creative Folkestone and the two Triennial Artworks,
I'm very, very pleased to see they're being retained.
The artwork by Sarah Wicks is not only is it made of chalk,
but it is also, each of the installations, as you probably know,
is related to a specific plant, like a plantain or whatever,
fennel which are growing only on the short downlands.
So that gives it a sort of biological, ecological dimension
and equally the Jennifer Tees kelp
links us to the flora and fauna of the sea.
Both of these are strongly linked to the geo -park.
I wonder whether there's an opportunity for us
to make that clear in one way or another
and if we do make it clear,
to make it clear in English and French,
both of which are things which emerge
from the assessor's visit on the 4th of July
and would seem an easy win, as it were.
They were particularly interested in the fact
that the geo -park linking Northern France and Kent
is the only geo -park, potential geo -park in the world
to be linked by the sea.
And so one of their questions was, well, what does that mean?
well, the kelp in that artwork is a small indication of what it might mean.
And so I just think there's an opportunity there for making a Geopark link.
Thank you very much, Councillor Scofford.
I can add to that a little because I met the assessors on the 4th of July
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:08:43
and they were thrilled with Jockspich.
They were very, very excited by the artwork.
they were very excited by the archeological dig. They were very excited with the views.
And in fact, you're quite right, part of their assessment back is that we should make more of
that marine environment. I think they, marine activity, I forget what they, what they, what they
talked about, but they were very, very, very impressed with it. The thing that they were
most excited in terms of the Geo Park was Jockspitch holds this position where we have
the sea, then the land, and then we've got an urban settlement. And again, that will
be unique. And we were all looking out to sea, and they were looking at Folkestone.
So, it was a really, really interesting take on the importance of Jock's pitch.
And, yeah, I'm sure there's going to be lots happening around that.
Sorry, Andy, do you want to come back specifically on what Councillor Scotland's asked?
Yeah, happy to have a conversation with you separately.
Mr Andy Blaszkowicz - 0:09:58
If you want to email me with some ideas of how you proposed doing that,
and I'm happy to speak to Prince of Ferguson.
Brilliant. Thank you.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:10:06
Any other questions or queries regarding the report? If not, that's jolly good. I wonder
if I could have a proposal, Councillor McConville to propose. I'm very happy to second. All
those in favour, please indicate. Thank you very much, everyone. We can lay aside our
burden of the Folkstone Parks and Pleasure Grant and look forward to the meeting of the
Cabinet.