Folkestone Town Council are delighted to confirm that agreement has been reached, subject to
contract, to acquire 2 Grace Hill, Folkestone – securing the long-term future of this much-loved
building as a community asset.

After Kent County Council confirmed early in 2026 that it intended to dispose of the Grace Hill
building, Folkestone Town Council unanimously backed a proposal to try to secure the purchase
of the building at nominal cost prior to the auction. That purchase has now been agreed, and
confirmed by Town Councillors at a special meeting on 21 April 2026.

The Town Mayor of Folkestone, Councillor Lucy McGirr, said “Securing 2 Grace Hill is about
protecting a building that means a great deal to Folkestone. While this is only the beginning of a
long journey to bring it back into full use, it ensures that this historic building remains a community
asset and can be restored for future generations.”

Town and County Councillor Tim Prater moved the Town Council motion to submit an offer, was
part of the Town Council negotiating team, and moved the motion to Folkestone Town Council on
21st April to accept the negotiated terms to buy the building. Tim Prater said, “We’re grateful to
Kent County Council for the positive and collaborative approach officers took to our offer, the
negotiations and their final agreement to sell. The building had a much larger value to the
community than any purchase price, and the acceptance of our offer to purchase before auction
has ensured the building did not end up owned by the wrong people.

This is no free ride. Getting Grace Hill refurbished and reopened will be a long, expensive process.
But that process will now be managed, led and owned by the people of Folkestone, as it should
be.”

Brian Collins, Deputy Leader of KCC said: “We understand how important 2 Grace Hill is to the
Folkestone community, and we are pleased to have reached an agreement with Folkestone Town
Council. We look forward to seeing their plans to bring this much-valued building back into
community use.”

The agreement to buy the building was a result of partnership working between representatives of
Kent County Council, Folkestone Town Council, Creative Folkestone, the One Folkestone
community partnership, Folkestone and Hythe District Council and Tony Vaughan MP.

That agreement marks an important milestone, but it is very much the start of a long
journey. Grace Hill is a significant and complex historic building, and bringing it back into full use
will take time, care, and sustained investment. We are committed not just to bringing this unique
space back into local community ownership, but to see it reopened as a multi-purpose hub,
bringing together community groups, creative arts space and public services contact point.

There are years of work and fundraising ahead, working alongside residents, community
organisations, funders and partners. Even while the building is empty, there will be ongoing costs,
and reopening any part of it will require further resources.

However, we know just how deeply the people of Folkestone value Grace Hill – and we share that
commitment. Securing the building ensures it can be restored and re-imagined for the benefit of
the town, rather than lost to alternative uses.

Folkestone Town Council is clear that we continue to see Grace Hill as the long-term home of
Folkestone Library. The current position means that this cannot be revisited until 2031, but when
the time is right – and when we can securely offer the kind of space that Folkestone deserves – we
will enter into open and constructive discussions with Kent County Council and its successors to
dovetail our vision for the future of library provision in the town.

In the meantime, Kent County Council are opening a new Library at 14 Sandgate Road on 26 May
2026, seeing the return of full library services to the centre of Folkestone for the first time in 3
years.

Delivering a fully restored and refurbished Grace Hill – fit not just for today, but for the next 120
years – can only be achieved with the community.

Following completion of the sale, we will be arranging public engagement sessions, open to
everyone, to share:
• the current condition of the building
• the grant funding being sought
• the emerging vision for its future
• how people can get involved in delivering that vision
• how the building might be used by the community once refurbished, or potentially in the
meantime
• a programme of activities designed to involve our community in the shared ambition for
this historic place to play a special part in our future.

In 2026, not only IS Folkestone a Library but Folkestone has secured its Library building too. The
work now begins to rebuild Grace Hill, together, for our community and for future generations.