The Folkestone Leas Promenade Is Meant to be a Cliff Top Elevated Walk With Far Reaching Uninterrupted Views Of The Sea. It's Not Meant To Be A Walk In The Woods.

 

 

 

 

This post above came up on my personal FB memory today, of exactly 2 years ago. I thought I'd share it here so that these photos are in the public domain for posterity reasons to look back on one day. If there was anything positive to come from the landslide on the Road of Remembrance, then it has to be the recovery of what was a lost view of the sea and the harbour arm for possibly 20 years or so along this far eastern stretch of the Leas escarpment. Last year, along with over 200 people, we watched the fireworks going off at the harbour arm, something that none of us would have seen from this vantage point back before January 27th, 2024.

 

 

 

 

 

We must never allow this local authority or any other in the future to let this special view be lost to us and future generations to be able to enjoy.

You can see what we are missing out on along other points across the Leas escarpment cliff top summit with views blighted by tall evasive trees and horrid hedge rows.

Our Leas Promenade is meant to be enjoyed as a walk from east to west, looking out to sea, not as it is now, a partial walk in the woods. The views are what bring returning visitors and tourists to the Leas Promenade time and time again. If left unchecked, 20 years from now, I predict the only view of the sea you will get will be from above the Leas Cliff Hall, by which time visitors would have stayed away in droves, and our town's economy would have suffered as a consequence.

 

 

 

 

Sadly, with FHDC and who knows with what ever authority follows this lot, we must inevitably wait for another landslide to occur along the Leas. One that may result in some poor soul being injured or worse killed before this blind local authority wakes up and does something to prevent more landslides by pollarding the trees along the whole cliff top summit that affects its stability.

 

 

 

 

FHDC has had more wake-up calls than many other local authorities in the country that have suffered landslides on cliff top summits caused by tall, heavy, shallow-rooted trees on a formation of mostly sand and sandstone that sees its precious topsoil washed away at every rainfall. That sees the trees violently shaken and leveraged out of the ground, but has done nothing to mitigate, reduce, or limit the risks.

Now we must wait for Mother Nature to act, as this local authority doesn't have the gumption to do anything other than wash its hands of any responsibility like it has over the Road of Remembrance.