Students get involved in building their future community

1 February 2019

Students from The EDGE School of Creative and Business at Folkestone College got involved in building their future community by showcasing their creative talents by producing a video about Otterpool Park. The pioneering project, that has been in the planning stages since 2016, has prioritised engaging with the community and providing opportunities for people to contribute throughout the process.

The video, filmed in 2018, embraces the goal to engage as many people as possible in the site’s development and future community. Students provided an overview of the project from a local perspective and talked to people at locations throughout Folkestone about what they would like the development to include. Some of the comments were around the need for affordable housing for young people, a desire for more green spaces and increased job opportunities in the area.

Jez Giddings, Head of The EDGE School, said:

“It’s fantastic to see our students engaged in local, community projects whilst applying the creative skills they are learning here. The students sought to communicate an understanding of what this development could mean for the area and recognised that themselves and their families could be potential future residents of Otterpool Park.

“They thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be proactive in contributing to their future community.”

Otterpool Park aims to provide up to 10,000 homes and 9,000 jobs in the next 30 years, creating an environment where future generations can thrive. It will also provide new facilities and services where people can live and work.

Andy Jarrett, spokesperson for Otterpool Park, said:

“The work with The EDGE School was part of our public engagement and development of our plans. They accepted the challenge of creating this video and we were particularly encouraged to witness the energy that the next generation of local residents contributed to the task.”