Community Partners Sign Memorandum of Understanding for Grace Hill Project
The Grace Hill Steering Group has announced a significant milestone in its ongoing work, with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) now formally signed by all community partners.
The agreement has been signed by Folkestone Town Council, Creative Folkestone, One Folkestone, Folkestone & Hythe District Council (F&HDC) and the local Member of Parliament – Tony Vaughan, demonstrating a shared commitment to working collaboratively to support the future development and success of the Grace Hill project.
The signed Memorandum of Understanding is available to view on the project website 2 Grace Hill – Folkestone Town Council
At a meeting of the Steering Group on Monday, members welcomed Philippine Nguyen, the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of Creative Folkestone, who attended her first meeting as part of the group’s ongoing efforts to strengthen partnership working across the community.
Philippine Nguyen, Chief Executive Officer of Creative Folkestone, said:
“I am immensely proud that one of my first actions as Chief Executive of Creative Folkestone is to be part of this huge step on the journey to return Grace Hill to community and creative use. I have been inspired by Folkestone and the ambition of the people here to enable creativity to happen. This building represents so much for the town and it is thanks to the hard work of all the partners involved that we can now work together to transform this space into something special.”
The Steering Group continues to make positive progress in bringing together local organisations, stakeholders and community representatives to help shape the future of Grace Hill and ensure that local people remain at the heart of discussions and decision-making.
Current areas of work include exploring examples of similar community-led projects that host public services, developing funding applications to both the Architectural Heritage Fund and Historic England, and strengthening the collaborative approach by sharing funding bid narratives across all partners. Work is also continuing on the development of a sustainable business model for Grace Hill.
Alongside this, partners are beginning to develop a programme of community events and investigating potential interim uses for the building while longer-term plans are progressed. A reference timeline is also being developed to map key milestones, community engagement activities and budget planning as the project moves forward.
The Chair of Folkestone Town Council’s Finance Committee, Councillor Connor McConville said:
“Work to secure the future use of 2 Grace Hill continues and these signed agreements with our community partners is a very positive step. Key objectives such as funding applications, community engagement and safe management of the building continue to be achievable. My thanks to the steering group, the wider council and to the community for their continued support for this challenging and exciting opportunity.”
The Steering Group will continue to provide updates as work progresses and further developments are agreed by partners.
To view the signed Memorandum of Understanding please click here.
ENDS
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Toni Brenchley, Town Clerk/Responsible Financial Officer
Folkestone Town Council, The Town Hall, 1-2 Guildhall Street, Folkestone, Kent CT20 1DY
Tel: 01303 257946 Email: toni.brenchley@folkestone-tc.gov.uk
