I have lived in Dover since 1987 and in all of that time this plot of land has been a shamefully wasted asset, as has been pointed out on previous occasions.
'Twas always thus. I worked for six months at the White Cliffs Experience in the year 2000 whilst it was running down prior to closure. Shortly after that I put a very long rambling post on Dover Forum about the workings of the WCE which was reproduced earlier this year on the thread below:
http://www.doverforum.com/letters/viewtopic.php?id=6257
The ninth paragraph before the end states:
"A further resource that was never utilised was the field extending from the WCE to the Roman Painted House, and from York Street to the row of buildings on the Market Square. In one corner are the exposed remains of the great Norman church of St.Martin-le-Grand and underneath the grass lie Roman remains. In all my time in Dover I have never seen this area open to the public except on the rarest of occasions. This great expanse of greensward in the centre of downtown Dover sits locked away behind high fences all year round. No attempt was made by the WCE to capitalise on this priceless asset. There could have been fetes, markets and boot fairs; bouncy castles and slides for weary mothers to occupy their progeny, with an all-day crèche in the Gromet's glazed crescent overlooking it; tables, chairs and flowerbeds to make it into a mini park opening off the Market Square; there was even an existing kiosk to serve refreshments from. All constituting additional revenue and additional potential customers for the WCE."