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Dover Beacon

Screenshot 2024-03-26 135209

Above Image provided by Lee Evans Partnership

Learn more about Lee Evans Partnership design for the Dover Beacon Project here. Dover Beacon Project design

Dover Beacon is the redevelopment of an area of Bench Street, Dover. The project will deliver over £90 million of economic benefit and includes:

An education campus providing training opportunities in creative and digital industries
A business centre, providing flexible, affordable facilities for start-ups and small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs)
A creative centre
A riverside parklet
Expansion of the Dover bike hire scheme.

Dover Beacon has been part-funded by the UK Government:

£18.1m Levelling Up Fund (LUF) - our LUF application
£3.2m Future Hight Streets Fund

Update December 2024

The main construction for The Bench is now underway with pilling works. The start of construction was marked with a Groundbreaking Ceremony on the 25 November 2024.

Image of Groundbreaking Ceremony 25 November 2024

Image from left to right Gregory Wilkinson and Grace O'Donnell from MHCLG, Cllr Kevin Mills, Leader of DDC; and Martin Sandell from Jenner

Meet the Contractor Events

Representatives from Jenner Group and Dover District Council will be at the smART Gallery, Bench Street, Dover, CT16 1JH on Monday the 14 December 2024 between 9-12 for a Meet the Contractor drop-in event. This will be an opportunity to see the latest plans, project timelines, internal computer-generated images and talk to the contractor about the project delivery.

If you can't make this date there will be a second Meet the Contractor, drop-in event on Monday the 13 January 2025 between 4pm-7pm, venue to be confirmed.

Update August 2024

Planning permission has been granted for the Dover Beacon Project, at planning committee on the 11^th of July. A copy of the planning application and associated documents can be found on this link Planning Application.

The second phase (mitigation) of archaeological works is underway and is expected to be finished at the end of September.

Enabling works are also underway on site ahead of the main construction works which are anticipated to start in the Autumn 2024. These works include the creation of a site compound on the former Co-op site in Stembrook.

Update April 2024

Archaeological works have started on site on the 15th of April and are anticipated to be completed by the end of June depending on what is found on site. Initial work will start with drilling bole holes to take ten core samples. Then work will start on excavation of archaeological trenches and trial pits. Works will be led by Canterbury Archaeological Trust.

Update March 2024

The project is moving forwards to the next stage of development and a full planning application has been submitted to Dover District Council for consideration. Full details of the application can be found on this link. Dover Beacon Project planning application.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our consultation about the Dover Beacon Project, results from the consultation can be found in the Statement of Community Involvement on the Dover Beacon Project planning application.

Update January 2024

Since the formal award of the Levelling up Fund in late April 2023 we have:

Demolished the existing buildings and cleared the site
Worked with the design team to produce an iconic and exciting building design
Secured tenants for the further education campus and business centre
Completed stage one of a procurement process to engage the main contractor for the project under a two stage design and build contract.