New plans have been revealed for the empty Ship Street site in Folkestone.

A drawing showing open public spaces, urban townhouses with terraces and one bed apartments has been released by Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) as part of their vision for the land.

They also want to add small shops and cafés, and a cultural space at the former gasworks site.

Walking and cycling links between the harbour and Folkestone Central station will also be developed as part of the scheme.

The council will host a public consultation this month to give residents an overview of their proposal, and to hear feedback on the plans.

Cllr David Godfrey, FHDC cabinet member for housing and special projects, said: “The artist’s sketch we’ve released ahead of the event shows what an exciting future this 1.54 hectare site - parts of which have been derelict since the early 1960s - might look like.

“It’s an opportunity to develop sustainable housing to meet the needs of modern day living but also enhances the whole area.

"It would be fantastic for as many people as possible to take a few minutes to drop in, have a look and let us know what they think."

The Folkestone Gas Company was founded by Ralph Thomas Brockman in 1842.

In the same year the gasworks was built on the seafront, where Marine Crescent sits today.

It moved to the bigger site off Foorde Road and Ship Street in 1888 and went through many changes over the years.

It ceased operation as a gasworks in 1956 and demolition of the building took place in phases from 1960 until 2001, when the final structure was removed.

The empty land was used in the 2014 Triennial for an art space.

In 2019, an art exhibition from Creative Folkestone was put together to show possible ideas for the future of the Ship Street plot.

The mock-up ideas included building walkways over open space, having a children’s play area or placing a ship on the land to be explored.

Artist impressions of these ideas were released and presented during the exhibition, which also included a history of the site.

FHDC purchased the abandoned site in 2019 for £500,000 from former owners National Grid, and revealed the intention to develop it with 85 homes last year.

The authority says their purchase means they will "be able to drive the development forward and access any available funding for remediation work".

The consultation will be held at the Quarterhouse, Mill Bay, Folkestone, CT20 1BN, on Thursday, March 24 between 4pm and 7pm.

Anyone interested can drop in at any time during the three-hour session and there will be opportunity to comment on the ideas for the site.

Click here for more information.