A personal view by Sue Sheppard

After attending the launch of the Folkestone Book Festival held by former Creative boss Nick Ewbank I decided to pen a few words as many questions were left unanswered.

My main feeling as a small shop owner in the Dover Road was that these arty people live on a different planet to the rest of us.

Yes it's a bit safer to walk on the streets but Tontine Street and Dover Road are still as grotty as ever and feels like little Prague, but more run down. For example we have to walk along dimly lit streets where rubbish including dumped beds are strewn around.

Flats have been done up but that's only because house prices were so low Londoners are cashing in but there are still very few jobs locally. If art is the answer then providing employment isn't the question.

The progress of the misnamed Creative Foundation is minimal, local people aren't all artists and very few understand the peculiar modern art that comes from the Creative Quarter.

But there are positives; the harbour fountain is great as is the Quarterhouse and restaurants, although the University is really a work in progress so give it 5 years and then maybe I'll comment.

Progress has happened because run down properties have been done up, but it's still only 5 out of 10. Anything that happened did so because of the philanthropic Roger De Haan whose love of art and dislike of local tradition is evident in Creative Quarter's progress.

The Triennial, apart form a couple of exhibits, is lost on most people. The numbers attending were dwarfed by the Ska Festival.

It has done diddly squat for the majority of local businesses.

A huge opportunity has been lost by rejecting very creative businesses because their faces didn't fit.

Art also fails to replace Folkestone as a port town which is the heart of the community.

Environmental creativity has been totally ignored. Where is the solar glazing, where is the transport plan and where are the recycling initiatives?

Folkestone can see a hijacking taking place which will change the town forever for the worse if traditions and radical possibilities are ignored.

Hawkinge Gazette and Channel Coast News 2011©