Folkestone’s new town centre library sees visitor numbers more than double

Folkestone residents are using their new library at more than twice the rate they visited the old one. Simple as that.

The Folkestone Library and Community Learning Centre on Sandgate Road opened on 26 May 2026, bringing library services back to the town centre for the first time in three years — and the early numbers suggest people have been quietly desperate for exactly this. In June 2026, the Sandgate Road site recorded 10,648 visits against 4,613 at the old Grace Hill library in June 2022. That’s a 131% increase. Book borrowing has climbed sharply too: 4,811 books issued last June compared with 2,507 in the same month four years earlier, a 92% rise.

The new centre pulls library services, adult education and other public provision together under one roof, with free computers, Wi-Fi, registration services and local history resources all in the same building on Sandgate Road.

Brian Collins, Deputy Leader of Kent County Council, called the figures a “fantastic endorsement” of the decision to move, saying the new library had quickly become a “vibrant hub for residents of all ages”.

Richard Palmer, Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Services, said the response had been “wonderful” and that he was “genuinely impressed” by both the facilities and staff commitment. Comments in the visitors’ book were “overwhelmingly positive”, he added, with the town centre location making services “more visible, more accessible, and convenient”.

The adult learning side has caught councillors’ attention too. Beverley Fordham, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said the success was “fantastic news for adult learners in Folkestone” — arguing that putting learning facilities in the heart of town makes it easier for people to build skills, gain qualifications and grow in confidence.