Multimillion-pound plans for 291 homes on a seafront golf course are splitting opinion among residents – as work could start as early as next year.
GSE Group, owner of Hythe Golf Club and neighbouring Hythe Imperial Hotel, unveiled the full proposals at a public consultation last week.
The £120m project – called Imperial Gardens – includes a new leisure centre on land to the east of the hotel, which would feature a publicly accessible 20-metre indoor swimming pool.
A planning application is yet to be submitted to Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) but – if approved – construction could begin in 2026.
Four-hundred people attended the consultation at the hotel on Thursday to view the designs, which developers say have been in the works for three years.
Among them was 62-year-old Alfie Adcock, who said he remained “open-minded” about the plans.
“I think it’s a good scheme, and I think it has got a lot of benefits,” he said.
“I am a member of Hythe Lawn Tennis Club and an ex-football player, so I understand that Hythe could greatly benefit from the leisure facilities.”
Of the 291 homes earmarked for the western side of the course, 25% have been designated as “affordable”, something Mr Adcock described as an important element for the town’s future.
“I think we need to think about the new generation coming through,” he added.
“I think some people are blinkered and just think for themselves, we need to think about the bigger picture.”
Under the scheme, the existing 18-hole course running along the seafront would be replaced with a nine-hole par-three academy course.
Another resident, 73-year-old Jean Poulten, said she understood the role the hotel plays in Hythe and supported improvements that could boost tourism.
“The Hotel Imperial is iconic and it needs something to generate more tourism here,” she explained.
“The whole idea of creating a business model around the hotel isn’t a bad one and I think it’s something that shouldn’t be frowned upon.”
However, she felt less comfortable with the scale of the residential buildings.
If approved, the 291 homes would be built on the western side of the course, including 48 three-bedroom houses and 243 one-, two- and three-bedroom flats.
“My biggest concern is the number of apartments that are being built,” Ms Poulten said.
“The little pocket of houses that they’ve put in the middle are kind of overshadowed.
“If I was wanting to buy one, I would have second thoughts. I wouldn’t want to be looking at the back of a block of apartments which is what you would be doing.”
New computer-generated images of the development were displayed at the consultation, giving residents a clearer look at the proposed layout and architecture.
But reactions to the modern designs were mixed.
Mick and Linda Poore, who moved to Hythe from Croydon, said the visuals were attractive but questioned how closely they would match the final build.
“I think it looks very nice, but these things are never what they show you and they slip in something else,” Mrs Poore said.
Ms Poulten likened the CGI images to a “building site”, and said nearby developments in Cannongate Road were “far more attractive”.
“I don’t think it does anything for the hotel, it does not enhance the hotel,” she said.
“They should probably layer it better, design it better, and perhaps not have that number of apartments.”
Speaking to KentOnline at the consultation, GSE Group bosses said the scheme would be “leisure-led”.
Chairman Darrell Healey said his company has been “working on this project for the last three years”.
The planned indoor pool currently measures 20m by 8m, but the company says it is already considering increasing its size following public feedback.
“I think there’s been talk about a new swimming pool in Hythe for god knows how long,” Mr Healey said.
“This is viable and this is something we can deliver. We don’t need any government or council support to do it.”
Mr Healey confirmed the proposed golf clubhouse would have four simulators, with bosses viewing the nine-hole academy course as a “starting place for kids”.
The scheme also includes a multimillion-pound extension to Hythe Imperial Hotel with extra accommodation and a new outdoor pool.
Bosses want to construct a new west wing with 24 additional bedrooms, taking the site’s capacity to 116 rooms.
Luke Mullaney, GSE’s development director, said the 73 affordable homes planned in the project exceed the district’s usual provision.
“The key thing for us is what we’re looking at now is a scheme based on the needs of Hythe and the benefits we can provide to the town as a result,” he said.
“We have an opportunity here to do something really quite rare and actually over provide affordable housing.”
GSE previously submitted proposals for 150 holiday chalets and the relocation of Princes Parade – the long seafront road alongside the golf course – but withdrew them in February last year.
Mr Mullaney said the company’s new approach keeps Princes Parade in its current position and delivers permanent housing instead of holiday units.
“It was important to a lot of people that we didn’t redivert Princes Parade along the Royal Military Canal – they wanted to see it left where it was,” he said.
“People were saying that these are not homes built for us.
“As a district, there was a need for more affordable homes and building 150 holiday chalets on the seafront kind of flies in the face of that.”
He added the proposed leisure centre would provide an “alternative offering” to Hythe swimming pool and the currently closed Folkestone Sports Centre.
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A planning application is expected to be submitted to FHDC by the end of January, with construction starting immediately if the scheme is approved.
It would then take “four to six years” for the project to be completed.
