Issued By
Folkestone Leas Lift Company CIO
p/a The Workshop, 32-40 Tontine Street
Folkestone, CT20 1JU
Charity registration no: 1197324
Background
The Folkestone Leas Lift, one of the three remaining water-balanced funicular lifts in the UK has been closed since 2017. A charity, the Folkestone Leas Lift CIO, was formed with the aim to restore the Folkestone Leas Lift to its former glory and make it into a functioning lift once again for the benefit of the Folkestone community and visitors to the town. Whilst the charity sought funding to help finance this project, a temporary café opened in the lower station of the Leas Lift in summer 2020 to generate additional income for the project, but also to inform the community about the plans ahead. The Lift Café has been run profitably by Craft Coffee in the past four years.
With funding targets reached and a main contractor due to be appointed in the next two months, restoration and construction works are expected to start end of summer 2024 and continue until the summer of 2025, when the restored Leas Lift is expected to re-open.
Due the popularity of the Lift Café and the wish to retain a point of information about the Leas Lift project to the public, the Folkestone Leas Lift CIO has decided to continue a small scale food & drink offering in a temporary container on site whilst construction and restoration works to the existing Lift buildings are ongoing.
Typical customers for this site would be dogwalkers, (young) families visiting the Lower Leas Coastal Park and play park, visitors to the beach, cyclists, construction staff and local residents.
Scope and Value of Contract
It is the intention of the Leas Lift CIO to find a tenant to operate the food & drink site for the duration of the construction works and beyond, through a tender process. Annual takings are estimated to exceed 100k.
For the temporary site, the successful tenant will be given use of a bespoke container, placed alongside the footpath leading into the Coastal Park from the Leas Lift. Drawings will be made available with the tender pack.
The Folkestone Leas Lift CIO will regularly promote the tenant through its marketing channels and endeavour where possible to link its community engagement events and activities to the site (start point for heritage walks, hard hat tours etc.).
The successful tenant will – if they so wish – automatically secure a place in the tender process for the newly constructed café in the Leas Lift’s lower station, which is expected to open on the same day as the Folkestone Leas Lift.
Period of Contract
The contract for the temporary food & drink site will be 24 months from the start date of 16 September 2024.
Costs to Contractor
The tenant will pay 13% of its monthly takings to the Leas Lift CIO.
Utilities will be invoiced separately.
The temporary container will be kitted out with work tops and a double sink, and will have supply of water and electric power. The tenant will have to install white goods and kitchen equipment at their own cost.
Expressions of interest, can be submitted by filling out the ONLINE FORM by Thursday 8 August 0:00 (midnight) latest.
Invitations to tender for the contract will be sent out by Friday 9 August 17:00hrs latest.
For queries about the trading opportunity, please contact us on: 01303 761892 or email: hello@leaslift.co.uk
