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Outdoor dining experience, Beachside, coming to Folkestone seafront
11:48, 07 April 2021
updated: 15:35, 07 April 2021
A new al fresco dining experience - complete with palm trees - is coming to Folkestone.
The team behind the successful Harbour Arm will open the outdoor space, called Beachside, in June.
But work is already underway at the site, which is to the west of the arm, and palm trees have been filmed arriving at the beach.
A drawing of the plans for Beachside shows a wooden structure surrounded by the greenery and outdoor seating.
It will incorporate the existing Pilot bar with a new seafood restaurant.
A spokesman for the Harbour Arm said: "In our on-going mission to reinvent the English Seaside experience, we're launching a truly unique al fresco dining location with palm trees, luxury outdoor spaces and an unbeatable vista in all directions.
"In June, a seafood space will join the Pilot beach bar to compliment this new venue where you can wine and dine whilst soaking in the sunset."
Beachside will be an extension of the Harbour Arm, which is already home to many vendors and bars.
These are currently open for take away but from next week, on April 15, table service will be available again at The Goods Yard, a new space created on the arm which includes some sheltered seating. Artist's drawings of this area have also been released.
The table service will allow all traders to open, with customers ordering through an online free app which will eliminate queuing.
The spokesman added: "In October 2020, we piloted The Goods Yard as a way to extend our season.
"Our plan was to create an area that could become a new home for our traders as autumn turned into winter.
"Now, we're delighted to confirm that The Goods Yard will be returning in a big way. More traders, more seating, more experiences."
The Harbour Screen outdoor cinema is also expected to return in the future, showing a selection of films and sporting events - including the Champions League final, the Euros, Wimbledon and The Open.
A new mini golf course has also been erected on the arm this year.
A spokesman for the Harbour Arm added: "We’re really looking forward to welcoming our visitors back, showing them what we’ve been working on, introduce them to our new venues and traders, as well as reconnecting them with their old favourites.
"It’s going to be an amazing season."
Folkestone Harbour Arm is run by the Folkestone Harbour & Seafront Development Company.
Led by Sir Roger De Haan, the firm have spent millions of pounds reinventing the coastline in Folkestone, including improving the Harbour Arm and the Harbour Station and walkway.
The company is also behind a new seafront housing development, close to the Leas Lift.
Construction on the scheme - to create 84 new homes on the beach - is underway and is the first phase of a 1,000 home masterplan for Folkestone's front.
