Major Leisure And Housing Plans For Hythe Unveiled

A £120m privately-funded scheme to transform Hythe golf course and deliver much-needed community leisure and sporting facilities, new homes and improvements to the Hythe Imperial Hotel has been unveiled.

The proposals could see the remodelling of the under-utilised 40-acre private Hythe Golf Club, replacing it with a public pay-to-play 9-hole par-3 academy golf course and club house on the eastern half of the course, if approved by Folkestone & Hythe District Council. It is hoped this will attract new participants of all ages to the sport.

Sitting alongside the new 9-hole course would be an adventure golf course aimed at children, families and visitors to Hythe. Themed around the Napoleonic Wars, it would help deepen understanding of how the Royal Military Canal shaped Hythe.

The western half of the current golf course would see the development of 48 three-bedroom houses and gardens alongside 243 one-, two- and three-bedrooms apartments, many with coastal views. It is anticipated that 25% of the new homes – around 73 in total – will be affordable.

A multi-million pound investment in the Hythe Imperial would add a further 24 bedrooms in a new wing on the west of the building, taking capacity at the four-star hotel to 116 bedrooms. It would also transform the leisure facilities with a new outdoor pool, spa and wellbeing centre which would be available to guests and the public.

To meet the growing demand for purpose-built flexible accommodation geared towards longer stays, GSE is also proposing to create eight 40m² serviced apartments on the top floor of the new hotel building. Each apartment would offer generously proportioned bedrooms, with a lounge area, kitchenette, workspace and ensuite bathroom.

Integral to the scheme and tackling a long-standing dilemma within Hythe, a new leisure building is proposed to the east of the Hythe Imperial Hotel incorporating a 20m indoor swimming pool, a purpose-built gym, exercise studios for classes, and changing rooms. It would be offered for use to the wider community of Hythe and open to the public and hotel guests alike. The brand new facilities would provide a privately-funded alternative to nearby Hythe Swimming Pool on South Road which is unlikely to remain open in the long term without significant investment by Folkestone & Hythe District Council.

GSE Group, based in Ashford, owns and operates the Hythe Imperial Hotel and has previously delivered the Imperial Green residential development adjacent to the hotel.

Darrell Healey, Chairman of GSE Group, said: “This £120m investment has been designed to strengthen the local economy, benefit the local community, enhance the environment, and provide much needed housing to the area while sustaining the future of the Hythe Imperial Hotel. Central to our proposals are the significant public benefits proposed for the wider town, including an overdue solution to providing excellent swimming and fitness facilities in the town. We are equally passionate about the remodelling of the golf course and the introduction of new facilities that we hope will attract entire new demographics of participants into the sport.

“The proposals incorporate a commitment to improving highway safety and roadside parking on Princes Parade, as well as enhancing and protecting our national heritage and delivering significant environmental improvements and public open space. All of this would be delivered while being sensitive to the historic setting of the Royal Military Canal.”

The site was previously proposed for the development of a 150-holiday chalet scheme across the whole of the golf course.

Darrell Healey added: “We listened to the concerns of residents and radically redesigned our scheme to be better aligned with the needs of the local community and provide greater public access. The chalets have been replaced with a mixed residential and leisure development, half of the site will remain as a remodelled golf course, and Princes Parade will remain a public highway.”

The proposals also include the creation of a new splash park, incorporating public toilets, changing rooms and showers to improve the experience for beach users at Hythe. In addition, the scheme would provide new open community space as well as improved pedestrian links from the town centre to the beach front.

A public consultation event will be held at the Hythe Imperial Hotel on Thursday, 27 November, from 2pm to 7.30pm, to gather public feedback on the plans before an application is submitted.

Further information on the proposals can be found at www.ImperialGardens-Hythe.co.uk will go live before the public exhibition.

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