As plans ramp up to breathe new life into Bench Street, at a long-term derelict town centre site, Dover District Council (DDC) is set to demolish three properties it owns at 11, 14 and 15 Bench Street in Dover to protect public safety.
The increasingly dilapidated and dangerous buildings are adjacent to the A20, one of the main routes into the town and port. The site’s appearance is blighting the local area and giving a poor impression of the town.
Banksy
This news comes as DDC also announces the exciting appointment of international art specialists Factum Arte – based in Madrid – to scan and preserve the lost, painted over Banksy, so the Council can recreate it digitally or even physically in the future.
Factum Arte, whose work includes the Tomb of Raphael in Rome’s Pantheon, will digitally record the Brexit mural using advanced photometric technology so that an accurate record of the Banksy can be catalogued as part of the town’s history and, potentially, reproduced, subject to the artist’s approval, in a new safe Dover location – potentially the new Creative Centre. Factum Arte use technology to bridge the gap, where the line between the digital and the physical no longer exists.
The Council is fully committed to growing Dover’s economy through culture, heritage and visitors, as well as to working with stakeholders, businesses and the public to deliver this growth. This includes exciting plans for the positive redevelopment of the east side of Bench Street, including a new Creative Centre and a revamp of the underpass with the Future High Streets Fund, and an education campus (creative and digital skills), business centre and park as part of the Levelling Up Fund.
DDC has secured £21.3m in Central Government funding for these projects, with the council committing a further c.£4m in regeneration funding. This builds on existing Dover town centre projects, including the ongoing reawakening of Dover’s Grade 1 Listed Maison Dieu, Kent’s first zero-emission bus service Dover Fastrack, and the delivered new Market Square.
The council also continues to explore ideas for expanded public art provision, arts events and cultural activity across the town, in line with Dover’s current and emerging Cultural Framework, as well as Dover’s recognition by the Arts Council as a priority place.
Gateway to Europe
Cllr Trevor Bartlett, Leader of Dover District Council, said: “Having world-renowned street artist Banksy visit Dover to create such an iconic artwork highlighted the importance of our town as the country’s gateway to Europe. And it was a great shame that under the building’s previous ownership it was painted over and destroyed.
“I am delighted that Dover District Council has appointed international art preservation experts Factum Arte to carry out a high-tech scan of the wall, that will allow us to virtually peel back the layers of paint and recreate a digital version of Banksy’s mural for Dover residents to enjoy into the future.
£4 million
“Saving the artwork in situ would have cost local taxpayers up to £4 million, and there’s no guarantee that this unsafe building wouldn’t have simply collapsed anyway. Our plan will create a permanent digital record of the artwork while delivering on our pledge to regenerate the Bench Street area of Dover using £18.1 million we secured from the government’s Levelling Up Fund.”