Entrepreneur David De Min plans to build Britain's first Silicon Valley village from a 245-year-old Napoleonic fort and former prison which will boast a Dragons' Den-style tech-hub, luxury hotel and a vertical farm.
Businessman David De Min hopes to transform the 33-acre fortress Dover Citadel on the Kent Coast into a world-renowned tourist and business destination which will also feature its own whiskey distillery, wellness spa and music and arts venue. He bought the site from the Ministry of Justice three years ago for £1.8 million. He is currently working on securing funding from undisclosed Emirati Royals among other potential investors.
The oldest part of the fort - perched high on Dover's famous White Cliffs overlooking the coast of France some 20-miles away across the Channel – was built in 1775 and became the first line of defence against Napoleon Bonaparte and his naval fleet. It was later used as military barracks in the Crimean War and both World Wars but in 1956 the Citadel was handed over to HM Prison Service where it served as a Young Offenders Institution until 2002 when it became an Immigration Detention Centre before closing in 2015.
The casemates, meanwhile, some of which were also used as barracks, will be turned into spaces for fashion and art – paintings by social media influencer Arron Crascall are currently on sale for £4000 – as well as room for vertical farms.
An article from the Sun hinted a potential collaboration with Innovation AgriTech Group on this project as he was pictured in their facility.
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