Christmas is coming, and there's something for all the family in White Cliffs Country this festive season. 

Christmas lights are already shining out, with events lighting up towns across the district.  And there's a whole host of seasonal highlights to come in our communities, including festive fun led by DDC on Saturday 14 Dec at Sandwich Guildhall Forecourt.  

DDC has announced free parking from 4pm for Christmas lights switch on event days in Dover, Deal and Sandwich, and will be offering one hour free parking added on when people buy one hour or more from 14 Dec to 1 Jan. We've also confirmed our seasonal waste collections.

• More on Christmas arrangements

With winter upon us, we continue to work hard to provide help and support to communities with the cost of living.

DDC has teamed up with partners to organise Winter Well Roadshow events to offer support and advice around health and cost of living. Following an event in Deal on Saturday, forthcoming events include the Riverside Centre, Dover on Sun 8 Dec and Jubilee Centre, Sandwich on Tues 10 Dec.

Our communities team continues to offer a range of help, including signposting to services and visits in the Community Roots van, with a range of dates set for December.

• More on help available

DDC has formally adopted the Dover District Local Plan.

This is a milestone for the district. The plan is in place to set the development strategy for the growth of the district up to 2040, and to provide the planning policy framework to guide future development.

The plan identifies sites to help deliver the 11,000 new homes needed up to 2040, with policies to ensure the right community facilities are provided. 

• More on Local Plan

A multi million pound landmark development in Bench Street, Dover has taken the next exciting step – with a groundbreaking ceremony held last week, as construction starts as part of the Dover Beacon project.

DDC has signed a contract for construction of a four-storey building, called The Bench, with work now getting fully underway.    

The Dover Beacon project is set to deliver over £90m of economic benefit, bringing investment to boost jobs, skills and educational opportunities. 

• More on Dover Beacon

The new Dover Fastrack service started in November.

Dover Fastrack is a rapid bus transit system connecting Whitfield with Dover Town Centre and Dover Priory railway station.

The service is a key feature in the Local Plan for the future of the district, where it is included as an important investment providing infrastructure for fast, reliable sustainable transport links between the Whitfield Urban Expansion and the town centre, including its high speed rail station.

• More on Dover Fastrack

Following a full structural survey earlier this year, a £140k programme of repair works is now underway on Deal Pier - with repairs being made to the concrete beams and to the steps which lead down to the lower deck.

The lower deck will remain closed whilst works take place and is set to reopen in January. Both the main part of Deal Pier and the café bar on the pier end are to remain open usual hours while works take place.

Piers need continuous repairs and maintenance, as they face the effects of the sea and the coastal weather all year round, and so regular checks need to be made.

• More on Deal Pier

After a successful reopening to the public in September, the Roman Painted House in Dover closed for the winter months on Saturday. We're now set to reopen in 2025 from Sat 15-Sun 23 Feb for half term week, and weekends after that during term time. 

DDC welcomed news last month that the attraction has been added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register following a detailed assessment of the site.  

DDC and Historic England are working together to improve the visitor experience and interpretation at the site, putting heritage at the heart of regeneration in Dover.

• More on Roman Painted House 

Public engagement took place from 23 Sept to 20 Oct to encourage feedback from residents for a proposed new leisure centre in Deal.

The project team spoke to over 950 people at nine different events held at a variety of locations including Tides Leisure Centre, Dover District Leisure Centre, Deal Market and Deal High Street.  DDC received 977 completed surveys during the engagement period. In addition, the team communicated with over 200 stakeholders and held design workshops with groups including swim clubs, sports clubs and disability group forums.

A full report on the engagement findings is set to be presented to DDC's Cabinet in January 2025.

• Proposed new leisure centre