Sold STC Moat Farm Road, Folkestone, CT19 Offers Over £1,500,000

Background:

The school site was originally sold as part of the enabling to fund the construction of the New Beacon school now in Moat Farm road which saw the merger of the Highview and Foxwood schools into new school facilities. The site is approximately 0.91 hectares in area (2.25 acres).

The site is the former home of the Highview school. The school was decanted after a new facility was built a short distance away. This new school, The Beacon now houses both the Highview and Foxwood schools allowing for a new state of the art facility.

The site has good transport links to Folkestone, Ashford and Dover. The nearest train station is Folkestone central which is within 0.7 miles.

Further facilities in the proximity of the site:
- 2 Primary schools within 0.5 mile.
- Folkestone academy secondary School within 1 mile.
- A Tesco Extra within 0.5 miles and 0.7 miles from Sainsbury's supermarket.
- Within 0.6 miles of Radnor Park.

About Folkestone:

Folkestone is a conveniently located coastal Town that has train links via HS1 in under 1 hour to London St Pancras, the Channel Tunnel service to France and the port of Dover are within 10 miles to the East. Folkestone has a number of regeneration projects with the development of Folkestone Seafront with over 700 apartments and the town of Otterpool as a new Garden Town in the next 25 years. www.folkestoneseafront.com and www.otterpoolpark.org.

It was announced on 18/01/2023, that Folkestone and Hythe District Council have been awarded £19.7 million for a major overhaul of Folkestone's town centre to improve shopping areas, an upgraded bus station and a new public green space to encourage businesses and visitors into the area.

The funding is for the three following projects:

1. Station Arrival and Town Centre Connections: This element of the project aims to improve the links from the railway station for pedestrians and cyclists to encourage use of active travel and public transport and to improve connections for visitors and residents alike.

2. Improved Gateway to the Town Centre and Bouverie Square: This component of the project will unlock transformational change around the town centre. The focus will be to reconfigure the main bus station in the town centre and implement changes to the legacy gyratory road system to the north. The money will enable a sustainable, attractive and welcoming gateway to be created for Folkestone town centre with a green park replacing the bus station in Bouverie Square. The exciting and ambitious project will see Shellons Street become two-way with bus stops and bays replacing the bus station. Better signage and obvious walking links will connect visitors to a greener, more vibrant Sandgate Road and Guildhall Street shopping area.

3. Folca, Sandgate Road and Town Centre Public Realm: This element of the project will refurbish the Folca building (the former Debenhams building) into a 'town lab' which will encourage and bring new and experimental uses into the town centre. The phased refurbishment of this building will bring a currently redundant building back into use in the town centre and reactivate this part of the high street. It will also improve the public realm on Sandgate Road to encourage footfall in this area of the town centre. The funding will also enable the second phase of Folca to be progressed by establishing new uses for the site, with an intended focus on public services, retail, leisure and business uses for the rejuvenated building.

There is a short video of the future of Folkestone here: https://videopress.com/v/TRDRtx4S

Planning Proposal: - Y19/0704/FH

The proposed development is for Local Authority social housing as demand identified required for the area. The site has full planning permission for 30 affordable dwellings with the potential to alter the plans for 23 units for market sale with 7 units for affordable rent / shared ownership

Policy CSD1 in Folkestone & Hythe District Council's Core Strategy Review sets out the affordable housing requirement for developments. For developments of 15 or more new homes, 22% of those homes should be affordable. Provision should be made on site and therefore the drawings could be altered to adhere to this.

The proposal is for a mixture of 1,2, 3 and 4 bed properties to consist of:

- 10 No 2 bed houses
- 12 No 3 bed houses
- 2 No 4 bed House (1 No Wheelchair compliant)
- 6 No 1 bed flats. (2 No Wheelchair compliant)

All of the proposals will include associated parking. KCC highways advice has been sought for the proposals and advised for 1 number parking space per dwelling however 2 spaces for 2 bed and larger would be preferable to which the proposals have achieved.

Layout:

The layout of the proposal has been designed to tie into the surrounding residential area forming appropriate ancillary external space including sufficient parking to meet modern living standards.

Access is retained to the existing linkages to the surrounding neighbourhoods by bringing foot traffic through the site and closing two secluded footpath routes improving natural surveillance across all public routes. With the preference to bring the public footpath routes into the site also creating public open space with natural surveillance created by surrounding houses with consideration to window positioning. There currently runs across the site a public sewer. This has been addressed by proposing to form the public highway over.

Landscaping:

The approach will be to produce a good variance of soft and hard landscaping as expected of that of a residential location. Consideration will be given to the variances in levels throughout the site to allow for an interesting and varied planning scheme. Careful deliberation has been given to allocate some space back to support the natural ecology.

Appearance:

The proposed appearance will be in-keeping with the location whilst giving a modern appearance expected of the current period. With materials chosen to be informed by dwellings generally within the area.

The Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF):

The Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF) is a cross-government initiative between the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and One Public Estate (OPE) which is delivered in partnership by the Local Government Association and the Cabinet Office with Folkestone and Hythe District Council being awarded £465,000 for the site which will be paid to the purchaser on completion of the works for which the grant was paid.

Stipulations:

- Straight Cash Offer
- Affordable units possibly in lieu of payment
- BLRF grant of £465,000 to be paid to developer on completion of the qualifying works
- Overage Clauses and Rights of Way are being negotiated with KCC prior to any sale. Full details can be disclosed.

Legal Costs: Each party to pay their own legal costs.

Viewings Strictly by appointment through Motis Estates Commercial Agents in Folkestone - 01303 212020 or commercial@motis-estates.com.

VACANT POSSESSION UPON COMPLETION SUBJECT TO CONTRACT (This firm operates a Complaints Handling Procedure, details of which are available upon request).

IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM MOTIS ESTATES Descriptions of the property are subjective and are used in good faith as an opinion and NOT as a statement of fact. Please make further specific enquires to ensure that our descriptions are likely to match any expectations you may have of the property. We have not tested any services, systems or appliances at this property. We strongly recommend that all the information we provide be verified by you on inspection, and by your Surveyor and Conveyancer.