Walpole Bay Beach Facilities

There are currently no public amenities at Walpole Bay. New amenities are essential to serve the increasing numbers of people using Walpole Bay. Providing inclusive facilities will ensure that the coast is accessible to more people, who can benefit from the improvements to health and wellbeing that our wonderful coastline can bring.

These facilities will also support the council in ensuring the bay is more accessible all year round, and provide business opportunities.

In 2020, the council did a call out for projects. A broad proposal was submitted called the Cliftonville Coastal Project. The proposal covered project ideas on both the upper and lower promenade along this stretch of coastline. This document aided discussion through the Margate Town Deal Board and the People’s Panel, and a number of the ideas were taken forward through to delivery. This included the provision of facilities at Walpole Bay.

You can read more about the community engagement and findings on the Margate Town Deal ‘Get Involved’ webpage and in the Margate Town Investment Plan.

The new beach facilities are being funded by central government through the Margate Town Deal, which now forms part of the Thanet Regeneration Programme.

There are no existing cafés that directly serve Walpole Bay; the nearest café is to the east, predominantly serving Palm Bay and jetski customers.

The council needs to ensure that any new development is sustainable for the future. The council is not in a position to deliver new public toilet or shower provision without an income to pay for the management and maintenance of the facilities. While the external funding from central government has provided the council with an opportunity to build new toilets, there is no ability to increase the council’s revenue budget for the ongoing management and maintenance. The café provides an essential income to ensure the management of the new amenities can be sustainably supported.

The council also has to consider the significant management and maintenance costs associated with the upkeep of the listed tidal pool and listed cliff lift.

This project restores public amenities to an area which historically enjoyed such provision, as well as improving natural surveillance of the Grade II listed Cliff Lift and Walpole Bay Tidal Pool.

The proposal that will go out to the market is that the café will provide caretaking for the toilets and showers.

This will be openly and competitively marketed as a commercial opportunity for a café operator.

The toilets will be managed and maintained by the business that runs the café, which will ensure they are kept clean and safe.

The new beach facilities at Walpole Bay are a separate project to the refurbishment of the Walpole Bay cliff lift, but the lift will help to make the bay and the new facilities more accessible from the top of the promenade. You can read more about the cliff lift work as part of the Access Walpole project.

This project will not formalise or charge for parking at Walpole Bay.

The management model for the new facilities is still being finalised; however, the showers will be open and the public toilets will be linked with the café operation and opening times. It is envisaged that the community space will be bookable by community groups, organisations, and fitness and wellbeing instructors, but details of this are being finalised.

This project has been carefully developed to address some of the constraints and considerations given the coastal location. There are multiple stakeholders and statutory consultees, along with the public to consider.

In 2020, the first phase of community and local engagement focused on developing a shared vision and understanding priorities for change. Responses to the Margate Town Deal questionnaires, face-to-face, and digital events were analysed as part of the evidence required in the development of the Margate Town Investment Plan. The information gathered through this engagement, as well as statistical data about Margate’s residents, businesses, and stakeholders, was used to help define the Town Investment Plan and inform the selection of projects.

You can read more about this on the Margate Town Deal ‘Get Involved’ pages.

In October 2023, members of the public were invited to learn about the regeneration projects taking place at Walpole Bay, including the new beach facilities.

A well-attended public drop-in session at the Walpole Bay Hotel welcomed over 300 local residents and stakeholders to meet and engage with the council’s project team. There were display boards showing sketches of the proposed concepts for the new beach and wellbeing facilities. Architects and designers were on hand to answer questions and there was an opportunity to give initial feedback about the information that was on display.

Following the event, the information boards remained on display at the Walpole Bay Hotel for two weeks. This provided a chance for anyone unable to attend the event to view the boards and share their feedback.

It was also possible to submit feedback and thoughts during this period via an online and paper survey—over 650 responses were received. You can view more information on our online engagement platform, Your Voice Thanet.

Feedback from this extensive community engagement has informed the project and the development of the final designs.

Key stakeholders and existing user groups were engaged on the final proposed plans prior to submitting the planning application.

The approved plans followed pre-application advice, site visits, meaningful public and stakeholder engagement, and two rounds of consultation with the independent Thanet Design Review Panel.

Making the bay accessible and inclusive to everyone is a key aim of the projects at Walpole Bay. The bay will see:

• Installation of new accessible toilets and showers as part of the new beach facilities.
• Provision of a warm space (a café) from which the bay can be viewed as part of the new beach facilities.
• Establishing a parking space for disabled users (see below for more questions about parking).
• Refurbishment of the Walpole Bay cliff lift to make the bay and the new facilities more accessible to all users from the top of the promenade (part of a separate project called Access Walpole).
• Replacement of the tidal pool escape ladders (part of a separate project called Access Walpole).

The project team has explored options for improving access to the tidal pool itself, including introducing new steps or ramps. The tidal pool is a Historic England listed structure and the chalk reef is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. This means the council is very limited in what it can achieve to improve accessibility, having engaged with Natural England, we know that we are unable to build anything on the chalk reef. The existing pool structure has seen improvements in 2025 including concrete repairs and replacement ladders.

A second phase of works to the pool is planned for 2026 following a structural survey that was undertaken.

It is important that the environment and ecology of Walpole Bay are protected due to the ecological designations of the site and the fact it is adjacent to a conservation area.

Extensive ecological surveys and assessments have been carried out to fully understand the site and how we can mitigate any impact.

There was a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) in August 2023, which covered a wider area along the cliffs. An updated site visit was undertaken in April 2024 and used to inform an Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) for the proposed development. Possible impacts to Habitats of Principal Importance, foraging and commuting bats, marine mammals, nesting birds, and winter birds were identified, and appropriate mitigation provided.

Because the Site is situated within the Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Area, Ramsar, and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a shadow Habitats Regulations Assessment (sHRA) was undertaken to screen potential impacts to the designated sites in 2024. This recommended winter bird survey work and requested further information relating to water quality during and post-construction.

Winter bird survey work was undertaken between November 2024 and February 2025, comprising 12 visits in a range of tidal conditions.

The sHRA was updated in 2025 with the outcome of the bird survey work and additional requested information. The EcIA was revised to include the recommendations from the sHRA, all of which have been submitted with the planning application for the project and reviewed by Kent County council’s Ecological Advice Service (KCC EAS) for Local Planning Authorities.

A SAMM (Strategic Access Management and Monitoring) contribution has been made for this development, which is a financial payment to manage and mitigate any negative impacts of visitors on sensitive natural habitats.

There will be a condition placed on construction to minimise impacts on bird species and wildlife during the building phase. Construction will be carefully and sensitively managed, working around the wintering bird season and high tides. Measures such as a sensitive lighting plan will also be required to reduce any impact on wildlife, as well as a plan to demonstrate how the development enhances the biodiversity of the existing concrete promenade. There is a pebble roof being planned for the café and native planting to support biodiversity.

There has been careful consideration of the suitability of the site in relation to flood risk posed by storms and waves overtopping the promenade. Thanet has many buildings on the lower promenade. The specific site on Hodges Gap promenade was shortlisted from three options at Walpole Bay; this location to the east of the tidal pool was chosen due to it being the least vulnerable to flooding.

A Flood Risk Assessment has been carried out and the Environment Agency has been consulted on the plans.

The café is sited on a raised plinth which provides adequate mitigation measures, and construction methods and materials are being specifically chosen to withstand the coastal location. The planned designs are sufficient to address the flood risk associated with a 1-in-200-year flood event for a non-residential building.

Vehicle access exists via Hodges Gap slope. The plans delineate a safe route through the cafe site using natural looking rock boulders, to separate pedestrians and vehicles. Access will be retained for Jet Ski World at the neighbouring Palm Bay.

There is no parking permitted on the lower promenade under the council’s Public Safety Protection Order (PSPO). However, unregulated parking does occur at the moment.

There are no plans as part of this regeneration project to formalise parking on the promenade, other than one accessible parking space for users of the new cafe or community space.

Any longer-term plans for how the promenade is managed will be a consideration for the council more broadly as that comes under beach and coast management.

Kent County Council Highways were consulted on the planning application with respect to the highway above and any potential increase in parking. Their feedback stated this will not result in a severe detriment to highway safety. The road above (Palm Bay Avenue) is thought to be wide enough, and on-street parking, without restrictions, is available for people to walk or cycle down the access slopes to the site. The Cliff Lift reinstatement will also provide an alternative means for people to get down to the bay.