Barton's Point update

Published Thursday 29 February, 2024
Last updated on Monday 18 March, 2024

Plans for the future of Barton’s Point Coastal Park are taking shape.

Swale Borough Council ran an exercise for potential operators to submit their ideas for what could potentially improve the country park for local people and visitors from further afield.

Seventeen leisure operators expressed their interest in coming to the site and, after a careful selection process, the council’s picked a preferred operator.

The council are currently working with them on more detailed plans for the site, which need to balance the site’s ecological and historical richness with any final designs.

Cllr Monique Bonney, chair of the council’s regeneration and property committee, said:

“We have been working behind the scenes with an operator to create plans for the park that most closely meet our ambitions for the site.

“As owners of the park, we are its custodians, and we must make sure any scheme we implement does not harm the sites important ecology or history.

“We have commissioned ecology work including bird studies, we need the results before we can make a final decision on whether the scheme we’d like to bring here would work.

“In the shorter term, there is an opportunity for temporary catering operators this summer.

“We know people really value the park, and we want to make sure it continues to thrive for years to come.”