Frustrated residents say plans to relocate a town centre bus station and replace it with a new park would encourage drug users and anti-social behaviour.

Opponents believe the move could also isolate elderly people due to the proposed new stands being installed along a hill in Folkestone and are calling for it to be scrapped.

Members of the Shepway Active Retirement Association started a petition in protest against Folkestone and Hythe District Council’s (FHDC) project to close the main bus station in Bouverie Square and replace it with five new stops along Middleburg Square.

But they say the new scheme will cause congestion on the roads around Folkestone while also claiming the town has enough parks already.

The ambitious proposals are part of the Folkestone – A Brighter Future (FABF) project which is funded by £20 million from the government’s Levelling Up Fund.

Other schemes have also been set out including opening up space in Sandgate Road for markets and outdoor events, while improving the access through town along Guildhall Street and Shellons Street.

Further changes are proposed to improve pedestrian crossings at Folkestone Central station and Radnor Park.

Under the proposals, the central bus station will be turned into a public park and the stops moved.

Two will be located on the sites of existing bus stops outside the new park and the other three in a linear style down the hill with the last one located outside the Bouverie Place shopping centre entrance.

The green space will have a play park, cycle paths and seating areas but Jenny Barraclough from the Shepway Active Retirement Association says the town has enough parks and does not need another one.

She added: “The bus station is right in the centre of town, it's perfect where it is but they want to turn it into a garden.

“They want to improve the town centre but all the buses will then be on the road, we won't know which bus is where.

“We have got Radnor Park, Kingsnorth Gardens, The Leas the Coastal Park and others further out like East Cliff.

“Why do we need another one which will cause all this hassle for people?

“The bus station does need some TLC, it has been let down for a long time but it doesn't need to be changed like this.

“The park will be full of drunks and druggies at night.”

FHDC says there will be CCTV and lighting incorporated into the design for the new Bouverie Square.

The authority also plans to make drastic changes to the route from Folkestone Central railway station and revamp the road layout of nearby Middelburg Square to accommodate new bus stops.

The northern arm of Middelburg Square, which is currently one-way, would become two-way with the aim of improving the flow of traffic.

This will come with the introduction of a 20mph speed limit from the junctions of Cheriton Road and Cheriton Gardens, through Middelburg Square and onto Shellons Street.

The road layout will be reconfigured with the Foresters Way car park relocated and a new road constructed to the roundabout at Grace Hill.

The new stops will include bus shelters which will house electronic display boards showing real-time updates.

But residents against the move say the new bus stops will be stretched across a slight incline, something resident Fay Meek says will be an issue for people with limited mobility.

The 76-year-old said: “For older people who are out shopping, it's very important they can get a bus easily and they do not have to try to find it or run for it.

“My main worry is that there are bus stops going down the hill so people in bad health have a steep hill to climb up.

“The council says it's only a slight hill, but it is very steep for people with heart conditions and those who struggle with walking and there are an awful lot of old people in Folkestone.”

Norman Newton, 92, said: “At the moment it is all in one place but that will change.

“It will be confusing as it will be spread out right along the road.

“How will we know which bus stop will be for us? We'll have to walk from one end of the station to the other.

“We already have enough parks in Folkestone, do we really need another one?”

FHDC says all existing routes will be accommodated in the new design and Stagecoach has advised on how many stops are needed to provide services.

Seventy-year-old Elizabeth Halstead from Cheriton says she hates the idea of the changes and hopes the council will reconsider if enough people share their concerns.

She said: “At the moment it is all compact, you can go easily from one platform to the other.

“They want to put them all in a row and it will be up and down a hill.

“Lord Radnor gave the people of Folkestone the bus station so it should stay a bus station.

“It's a one-way street but they are going to make it one lane so it will create a lot of hold up when buses stop.

“It's not going to draw more people in, it will drive them away.

“There is another consultation in November and people must attend and listen to it.”

About 210 people signed the petition started by Shepway Active Retirement Association, 40 signatures shy of the 250 names needed to bring the petition before the council.

Instead, council leader Cllr Jim Martin (Green) invited the members to a meeting last Thursday and said he would take all the views on board, adding: “We're always happy to meet any residents about their concerns and we are listening.

“We have carried out several consultations and they all indicate that people would prefer the area as a public park and children's playground.

“Instead of a circular bus stand which we've currently got, we'll be moving to a linear bus stand and the advantage of what we'll be doing is we'll be introducing a lot of electronics that will signal when the buses are coming.

“I think some of their concerns are based on not fully appreciating what's coming in, but we are happy to chat, we are listening.

“The whole problem is a much bigger problem, we have a road system in Folkestone which was effectively designed to service the ferry port, but that is long gone and it's never coming back.

“We've got this very elaborate one-way system and where the bus stand is at the moment, it's like a racetrack.

“We've got three lanes there and the police are run ragged with boy racers putting their foot down through there, so there's an aspect of traffic calming going on here in these works.

“The whole idea is to reintroduce a more pedestrian-friendly, bus-friendly, and calmer traffic management system.

“A spade hasn't gone in the ground yet, so we're happy to take ideas on board.”