Work to remove a stretch of hated seafront hoardings will begin next month.

The enormous barriers at the Princes Parade site in Hythe will be taken down and transferred to Otterpool Park in March, Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) bosses say.

The bright-white hoardings – previously covered in graffiti calling it a “Tory crime scene” referring to now-scrapped plans to develop the land and slated as looking like Belfast’s “peace walls” - require £30,000 worth of annual maintenance, and the previous Conservative-led council received a quote of £100,000 to remove them.

But the proposals for a new swimming pool, leisure centre and homes were axed by the new administration at the authority when the current Green-Lib Dem coalition took over following the election in May last year.

Last month, KentOnline reported the plan was for the hoardings to be taken down before March but it has now been confirmed they will be dismantled during the month.

Once removed, they will be replaced by a 1.2m perimeter fence made of wire mesh stretched between wooden posts to restrict access to the former landfill site where there is known contamination in the ground from its previous use.

The hoardings will be reused to secure empty buildings and used when construction work begins at Otterpool Park – FHDC’s garden town scheme for 10,000 homes near Folkestone Racecourse.

During the removal and new fencing installation at Princes Parade, council officers and contractors will be working alongside an ecologist to ensure badger setts and other wildlife habitats are safeguarded.

Consent for the work is also being obtained through Historic England as work at the northern boundary of the site is close to The Royal Military Canal, classified as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

A decision over the future of the Princes Parade site is due to be made after a public consultation later in the year.

Potential uses will be informed by the public’s views alongside advice from the council’s contaminated land consultant.

Further soil investigation and remediation works would be required to safeguard users if the preferred option includes open public access to parts of the site.

An FHDC spokesperson said the council wants to get residents’ views and make a decision that reflects the “aspirations of the community”.

“The fence, which integrates with the local setting and environment, is necessary whilst the future of the site is being considered,” they said.

“The public consultation will invite discussions about the best use of the land.”