It was a comment from a KentOnline reader that raised eyebrows last month. They claimed they had been informed by someone living at Shoreline Crescent, a multi-million-pound block of luxury flats right on the beach in Folkestone, that only two of the homes there had been sold. Surely this couldn’t be true.
If it was, what would it mean for the rest of the seafront masterplan produced by Sir Roger De Haan’s development company? Up until now, bosses have remained tight-lipped about the number of sales. But last week they invited KentOnline to visit the eye-catching tower block and opened up about the challenges they have been facing. These include Shoreline’s now infamous whistling balconies, being branded one of the worst-designed buildings of the year by Private Eye and their controversial u-turn on holiday lets.
They also revealed a new hotel could be built as part of the masterplan, along with restaurants and a health club, creating an “urban resort” on the seafront. Sales figures ‘on target’ So how many of the 84 apartments and 20 townhouses, ranging from £395,000 to almost £3 million, have really sold? Doug Acton, sales and marketing director at Sir Roger’s Folkestone Harbour and Seafront Development Company (FHSDC), told KentOnline that people have now moved into seven of the homes, while eight more sales are being processed. That makes 15 out of 104 sold since the first of the properties went on the market almost a year ago .
A cause for concern? Not a.