Construction milestone in £21m town centre project

Dover District Council is celebrating "topping out" The Bench building in the Dover Beacon project

A council in Kent is celebrating the newest milestone in a £21m town centre regeneration plan.

Dover District Council will hold a topping out ceremony for The Bench, which will form the centre of the Dover Beacon project.

The milestone, which marks construction work reaching its highest point, is the latest step towards completion of the building, which will include a further education campus, business centre and creative centre.

Council leader Kevin Mills said the plans would "provide an incredible boost to Dover and the area".

He added: "This is fantastic news that will provide an incredible boost to Dover and the area, supporting regeneration, providing business and creative spaces, and creating exciting new jobs, and access to education, training and skills opportunities for young people."

A council spokesperson also confirmed that completion of the building was expected in spring 2026.

As part of the redevelopment, the council said that the new project would bring £90m of economic benefit into the area.

The education campus, which it said would provide training in creative and digital industries, will sit alongside affordable business facilities for start-up businesses, it added.

Other facilities in the redevelopment include a riverside parklet and expanding the town's bike hire scheme.

Improvements have also been made to the Townwall Street underpass under the A20.

The project is largely funded by £18.1m of Levelling Up funding, with a further £3.2m from the government's Future High Streets fund.