Plans are underway to add new sections to a popular seaside boardwalk route - as bosses insist it will remain in place for years to come.

An application has been submitted by the Folkestone Harbour and Seafront Development Company (FHSDC) to add to the well-used coastal trail by up to 100 metres.

Completed in 2019, the existing walkway is currently 800m long and runs along the former Rotunda site linking the Leas Lift area with the former Folkestone Harbour station.

However, the new proposal, submitted to Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC), hopes to create two new sections of boardwalk on either side of the controversial Shoreline development.

Each walkway would be between 30m and 50m and connect directly to the existing path in Lower Sandgate Road.

FHSDC says the extension will benefit homeowners as well as visitors using the popular Harbour Arm hotspot.

Planning documents submitted with the application read: "The proposed two sections of temporary boardwalk will provide direct and ease of pedestrian access from the highway adjacent to the Shoreline development to the existing main boardwalk.

"It is considered the proposal will provide a sustainable link for the residents of Folkestone and tourists.

"The boardwalk will improve the use and visual appearance of what is an informal public space.

"[It] has been designed using traditional materials of reclaimed hardwood sleepers.

"These have been chosen to mirror the timber used in the existing main boardwalk, which was chosen to reflect Folkestone’s railway heritage and the link to the harbour station."

The curved path will also be approximately 2.6m wide and offer "a durable and rugged surface which will require little maintenance and is adequate to the harsh marine environment".

Further information says the new sections would be temporary for a period of up to eight years.

When asked what the company plans to do with the boardwalk after that period, a spokesperson for FHSDC replied: "We are pleased to be creating a link-up to the main boardwalk from Marine Parade giving visitors a direct means of accessing our popular beach boardwalk.

"The application is temporary for up to eight years as the section for the link boardwalk is within the seafront development masterplan.

"[This] envisages the sections between building plots including publicly accessible points to the beach and main boardwalk and shingle gardens.

"Therefore, this is a temporary enhancement until the permanent enhancement to Folkestone Harbour and Seafront.”

However, residents in the town have raised doubts on social media as to whether the boardwalk and the beach, which is on private land, will eventually have public access withdrawn.

FHSDC’s spokesman added: "We are proud of the boardwalk and view [it] as an essential element of our offering at Folkestone Harbour and Seafront.

“All the masterplan visuals continue to show the boardwalk in place."

A decision on the proposal is expected by January 1, 2025.

The application comes less than two months after KentOnline revealed just 15 out of the 84 Shoreline homes have sold since the first of the properties went on the market last year.

Featuring 64 apartments and 20 townhouses, ranging from £395,000 to almost £3 million, the seafront masterplan was produced by FHDSC boss, Sir Roger De Haan.

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However, the development has been ridiculed for its infamous whistling balconies and has been branded one of the worst-designed buildings of the year by Private Eye.

FHSDC has already revealed a new hotel could also be built as part of the masterplan, along with restaurants and a health club, creating an “urban resort” on the seafront.

Meanwhile, work is set to start on a £6.6 million restoration project to preserve the Grade II-listed Leas Lift, which carried passengers between the promenade and seafront before shutting in 2017.

Along with restoring the lift to working order, the cliffside railway’s waiting room will be renovated and a new building will be constructed to house a modern cafe with an outdoor terrace.

However, delays in selecting a contractor to take on the project cast doubt over whether the previously proposed opening date of summer 2025 will come off.

Now, Apex Contractors, a London-based firm, has been awarded a contract worth more than £5 million and will work with the existing project team over the next three months to prepare the site for construction.

This will include finalising designs, completing surveys and clearing overgrown vegetation.