Council steps in to help Kent

Kent play Northamptonshire at Canterbury last season. Changes to the St Lawrence Ground have been hit by delays

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Canterbury City Council has agreed to loan Kent £4million to help towards the redevelopment of the St Lawrence Ground.

The club will meet the full cost of the loan over the next 25 years, so there will be no cost to local tax payers.

Kent’s planned redevelopment, which includes a hotel, conference facility, health and fitness centre, hospitality boxes, stand refurbishment, floodlights and retail units, has been hit by several delays due to cost.

At one time, the county hoped the sale of an area behind the pavilion for housing could help finance the revamp, but that deal fell through. Kent have also secured a grant from the ECB to help fund their efforts.

Kent chairman George Kennedy said: “The club is delighted to have been offered this support by Canterbury City Council.

“It will go a long way towards helping realise Kent’s vision of creating a ground of which we can be truly proud. In addition, the city will benefit through splendid new facilities for the area.”

Building work on the ground is expected to take around two years, with any disruptive work taking place outside of the cricket season.