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Manager??John Nicholls discussing plans for Folkestone Park and Marine Reserve. (A. Miller/BGIS)

Planned changes to transform the landscape of the Folkestone Park and Marine Reserve have received a hearty welcome from residents in the area.

Once completed, the area will be transformed from a revetment in poor condition, to one which will boast two pocket beaches, safer water access points in the park, a concrete walkway, increased pedestrian traffic and more retail business.

Manager of the Holetown, St. James facility, John Nicholls, spoke about these new developments during a Community Perspective panel discussion on the Folkestone Redevelopment project recently.

During his presentation, the Manager also noted that the redevelopment would change the area into a new attraction, while the new shoreline walkway would bring more retail opportunities as a result of the expected increase in pedestrian traffic.

"Folkestone has the potential to become a truly sustainable physical asset that protects and rehabilitates damaged ecosystems, and in the process, thus change the behaviour of residents and visitors alike in how they use and protect our marine and terrestrial resources," he said.

Mr. Nicholls explained that the changes would create a neighbourhood-centred recreational and educational programme for school-aged children in this area, while those in the local community stood to benefit from an attraction that would encourage visitors to spend more time in the new surroundings.

Local users of the new Folkestone Park will have a facility that caters to adults, children and those persons who are physically challenged. Visitors will have better signage, improved walking surfaces and linkages to areas along the shorefront as part of the Coastal Zone Management Unit’s (CZMU) Holetown Waterfront Improvement project.

julia.rawlins-bentham@barbados.gov.bb

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