Folkestone cliff stabilisation works to start this year ahead of £750k play park refurb
Work to stabilise a cliff prone to landslip ahead of a £750k play park overhaul will start this year.
Cliff stabilisation work below The Leas in Folkestone will begin this autumn before the Lower Leas Coastal Park play area is revamped.
It comes after a landslide struck the area above the play equipment, near The Vinery, in February 2024.
It was caused by excessive rainfall following particularly inclement weather brought to the county by Storm Ciaran and Storm Isha.
Folkestone & Hythe District Council (FHDC) undertook protection measures to protect the play area after the landslide, such as high-level surveys and technical assessments.
Meanwhile, a tree management programme to reduce heights and the risk of further slips is ongoing, with work to stabilise the cliff set to go ahead in October.
It says a complex remediation strategy has now been devised, which includes high tensile mesh, soil nailing, draped netting and building a specialised wall.
Once a contractor has been appointed, the council expects work to be completed by the end of the year.
The work will lead to equipment needing to be removed from the play park below to ensure public safety and allow access to the cliff.
It comes just days after an extra £191,000 was agreed to revamp the free adventure play area, in a move which brought the total cost to £750,000 ahead of its completion in summer 2026.
FHDC's cabinet member for assets and local government reorganisation, Cllr Connor McConville, said: “If we want to deliver a new first class play area in time for next summer, it is essential we move at pace with the cliff stabilisation work.”
The landslide above the Cow Path – which happened in November 2023 – presents different challenges according to the council, after it undermined the Madeira Walk footpath at the summit.
It says remediation works will instead begin early next year.
A capital budget of £300k has been approved as part of the stabilisation works, with the play area landslide expected to cost between £125,000 and £150,000 compared to between £100,000 and £125,000 above The Cow Path.
Meanwhile, work on the landslip above the Road of Remembrance is being led by Kent County Council.
Its former transport chief, Cllr Neil Baker, told KentOnline in February it may lead to the road remaining shut until summer 2026.
