THE long-running saga surrounding the redevelopment of Margate Football Club’s Hartsdown ground will come to an end - one way or the other - in four weeks' time.

That's the promise made by Thanet District Council’s cabinet at a meeting on Thursday night when a proposal made by the club’s director and developers was accepted.

Legal wranglings have held up the multi-million pound development of the ground, which club owners want to turn into a sports and entertainment complex including not just a state of the art football pitch and terraces, but also a hotel, casino and restaurant.

Directors and the developer submitted a proposal at the end of last year but council chiefs gave it the thumbs down after saying the document supplied was not to the council’s satisfaction.

But at the 11th hour a deal was struck which will involve the club covering all the costs of employing an independent surveyor to take another look at its proposal and report back to the local authority.

A deadline of just 14 days has been set for this to take place. Then the council will have a further 14 days to come to a decision.

At Thursday night’s meeting Cllr Roger Latchford, Thanet’s leisure, culture and tourism chief, said his feelings were that once this decision is made it should be the end of the matter. That view was echoed by many of his fellow cabinet members.

Cllr Latchford said: "The main aim of everyone present is to see Margate Football Club playing football at the Hartsdown Ground.

“The development keeps being taken back to the table and we really do need to get this sorted once and for all.”

Speaking after the meeting the president of the club, Gordon Wallis said: “This is the best we could have expected.

“We now have 14 days to get the proposal looked at and I hope that after the council’s further 14 days a positive decision will be made.”

During the meeting the chants of dozens of fans who had gathered outside the building could be heard.

They told waiting newspaper, radio and television journalists that their aim was to encourage the council to back the club’s plans so Margate FC "could come home".