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‘Flintstones’ flat plan for Kent seafront by Saga heir one of Britain’s richest men Sir Roger De Haan leaves locals ‘horrified’
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‘Horrified’ locals have been left furious after a new seafront flat plan in Kent resembling cartoon dwellings from The Flintstones was released by one of Britain’s richest men.
Sir Roger De Haan, who is heir to the Saga holiday empire and has an estimated net worth of £851million with his brother Peter, changed the face of Folkestone after purchasing the harbour for £11million in 2004.
The 73-year-old businessman built a solid reputation with locals after after setting up a trust that supported new schools, the world’s only multistorey skatepark and an arts festival.
However, controversy has followed him since the mid 2000s regarding the plan to develop up to 1,000 homes on the shingle beaches of Folkestone.
And now, after revealing what the new flats could potentially look like, locals have described the curvy tower blocks as looking like a doner kebab or something out of the hit 1960s TV show The Flinstones.
Projected images show what the 600-home development is set to look like
The multi-million-pound development is set to be built on top of the town’s current seaside car park
Debbie Convery, who was born in Folkestone, accused the flats as being ‘out of scale’ with the area.
‘[They’re] just a pile of flats and shops that will completely block the view of the sea, not to mention increase congestion, sewage overflow problems, and doctors’ waiting lists,’ she told The Guardian.
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‘It’s just so out of scale and character with the rest of the town. And it’s only going to take footfall away from the shops in the struggling town centre.’
Other descriptions of what the flats look like have ranged from saying it seems like termite mounds and piles of poo.
One person commenting on a Kent Online article joked: ‘Welcome to Bedrock. Yabba dabba doo.’
On top of this, it’s estimated that only eight per cent of the homes will be classed as ‘affordable’.
A single-bed flat is set to cost £430,000 while a two-bed unit will be £1.3million and a penthouse is £3million.
To add to local’s fury, the Harbour Seafront Development Company has already secured planning permission for the height and mass of the proposed buildings at the harbour and along Marine Parade.
A single-bed flat is set to cost £430,000 while a two-bed unit will be £1.3million
The multi-million-pound development is also set to be built on top of the town’s current seaside car park which could spell trouble for those driving down for a summer getaway.
Duarte Lobo Antunes, who is one of the lead architects who designed the towers, said: ‘I rewatched The Flintstones and I did not see anything as cool as what we have.’
De Haan also added that he wanted the best for the town where he grew up, explaining: ‘It’s had immense investment and it’s immensely challenging and high risk.’
