Kent County Cricket Club (KCCC) has been handed a £4m loan to help fund the multi-million pound redevelopment of its St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury, by the local authority.

The club revealed that it approached Canterbury City Council to provide financial support towards the scheme on the grounds it met with a series of economic and wellbeing objectives. Plans for the redevelopment of the St Lawrence Ground include a hotel, a health and fitness centre, a conference suite and revamped spectator facilities, as well as hospitality boxes, floodlights and retail units.

KCCC will meet the full £4m cost of the loan to ensure that local taxpayers do not fit the bill for the scheme, which ran into delays earlier this year after a developer pulled out due to the recession. However, the loan - which was obtained due to the preferential rates available to the council - is now expected to help the club kick-start the project.

KCCC chair George Kennedy said: "It [the loan] will go a long way towards helping realise the Kent County Cricket Club 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."