Canterbury City Council agrees Kent County Cricket Club loan
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by Adam Williams
awilliams@thekmgroup.co.uk
Canterbury City Council has approved to loan Kent County Cricket
Club £1.5 million.
A full council
meeting on Thursday rubber-stamped the loan, an investment the
authority believes will secure the club’s long-term future in the
city.
It comes on top of £4 million already lent to the club, which
supported the first stage of the St Lawrence Ground
redevelopment.
Liberal Democrat leader, Cllr Alex Perkins praised the club’s
honesty and openness.
He said: “They’ve been transparent about the recent poor
finances, but in the last week have declared they are now on an
even keel and in profit.
“I firmly believe there’s a strong future ahead for the club.
They are not just part of the community, but part of our education
system and support the game’s development at grass roots."
Leader, Cllr John Gilbey (Con) added: “The club have realised
the St Lawrence Ground can’t be sustained purely on cricket and the
redevelopment is already beginning to bear fruit.”
The ground’s revamp has already seen retractable floodlights
installed and houses built on land previously owned by the club.
Sainsbury’s will be occupying a new retail unit at the ground,
while the club remain hopeful of finding a hotel developer for the
Old Dover Road side.
Chairman George Kennedy witnessed the loan’s approval from the
Guildhall’s public benches.
He said: “The city council have been absolutely fantastic in
their continued support.
“The reason we’ve come back to them for a top-up loan is so we
can press on with the rest of the development while we wait for
progress on the hotel. With the contractors already on site, it
makes perfect sense for us to complete as much work as we can.
“We’re hopeful of moving forward with the hotel and are
well-advanced with negotiations with one particular party. In the
next week or so, we hope to meet with them again and things are
certainly moving in the right direction.”
Friday, January 13 2012
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