Marks & Spencer (M&S) has submitted planning documents to Folkestone and Hythe District Council to open a new store in the seaside town, marking its return after a 20-year absence. The proposed site is the former Homebase store at Park Farm Retail Park, which closed last year.
Store Details and Co-Tenant
The plans reveal that M&S intends to divide the unit into two separate stores. The M&S Foodhall would occupy 2,323 square meters, while a Home Bargains would take up 2,309 square meters. This development aims to transform a “large vacant retail unit” back into a hub of activity, according to the application.
An existing Home Bargains store is located next to the retail park, but it is unclear how the proposal would affect that branch.
Exterior Revamp and Car Park Expansion
The exterior of the building is set for a major facelift. New clear glazed shopfronts would be installed as a “vast improvement to the existing façade.” The revamp includes a “green tiled portal entrance” alongside “pearl white” cladding on the rundown sides of the building.
The outdoor garden centre, two-storey staff block, old entrance and exit lobbies, and water sprinkler tanks of the former Homebase are slated for demolition. The proposal also includes expanding the car park with eight EV charging spaces, nine parent-and-child spaces, and a new pedestrian walkway.
Background and Timeline
M&S left Folkestone in 2006 after 94 years of trading in the town centre. Its former site is now Petticoat Lane Emporium, Kent’s biggest indoor market. The retailer had earmarked Folkestone for a new store last year as part of a list of towns for expansion.
The council is expected to make a decision on the planning application by October 1.
Separate Café Closures
Separately, M&S announced it will close 14 in-store cafés in England and Scotland this summer. The retailer stated this is part of a restructuring plan to “provide more product choice and improve the shopping experience.”
