Artists have helped transform the fortunes of the Kent seaside resort, but it is costing them dearly
Scratch the surface of glossy rebranding and it becomes clear that not everyone is benefiting equally from the town’s redevelopment On Folkestone’s seafront, an undulating white wave of luxury flats rises up from the pebbled beach towards the skyline. The Shoreline Crescent development brings California modernism to England’s South Coast. Its curved gold-tone balconies offer panoramic views of the horizon, glinting in the sun when the clouds part.
Creative Folkestone owns homes and commercial properties in the town and runs the Creative Folkestone Triennial, the UK’s largest exhibition of outdoor art, as well as the town’s “Creative Quarter”. Meanwhile, rents rose by 15 per cent in Folkestone between November 2023 and 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics . Housing here is becoming less affordable for local people on lower incomes. Few Folkestone residents would be able to afford to buy a Shoreline Crescent apartment.
Privately rented homes are not required by law to be affordable. However, nationally, developers are required to make sure a minimum of 10 per cent of new homes – like those at Shoreline Crescent – are “affordable” or social. “Affordable” homes are let at 80 per cent of the going market rate in any given place, social homes are let at 50 per cent.
“I live in a one-bedroom studio flat on the Old High Street,” Rob explains. “My rent was £550 a month until 2023. In March 2024 it went up to £700 and, in 2025, it’s set to go up again. I don’t know how much I’m looking at yet but I’m worried.” “I was shocked when it went up last year,” Larry says. “Now we’re fearing the next rent hike. I moved here because I thought it was supposed to be a sustainable community – I don’t feel secure here now.”
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