New Whitstable chairman Adam Lightowler says the Oystermen’s new leadership has a long-term plan to develop the club and lay the foundations for future success.

Mr Lightowler said while the primary objective is to ensure Whitstable maintain their Ryman League, Division 1 South status – they host Faversham on Saturday – there is a ‘key development plan’ in place for the club, which will ‘inevitably involve investment’ and is likely to include the redevelopment and expansion of facilities at the Belmont.

Mr Lightowler is a director of Medway-based construction firm Merit Building Services where he is a colleague of new club vice-chairman Keith Perkins, a former Town scout.

The third member of the club’s new-look leadership group is club development manager Colin Patching – who will continue in is role as Town’s under-21 boss, where he managed Perkins’ son Ryan earlier this season.

Mr Lightowler said: “We have come in knowing that we might not be in the Ryman League next season.

“However, this is a long-term project and we are looking to the future, starting from grassroots up. If we are to go down, then we’ll do everything possible to ensure we can challenge for promotion back to where we belong at the first attempt.

“We have put together a development plan which includes refurbishing the facilities we have and the potential for expansion in the future.

“Inevitably, it’s going to need some investment at some stage but for the moment we have taken over the running of the club to provide stability and in an administrative sense.”

Mr Lightowler also assuaged any concern he might be interested in developing the Belmont, adding: “My background is in construction but from a commercial standpoint and helping businesses – there are no plans to construct anything, don’t worry.”

Mr Lightowler – who once played at Gillingham as a youth and has links to Danny Kedwell and Danny Spiller – met the Town players at the Belmont on Tuesday night to share his vision.

Mr Patching revealed his role own will involve him: “working alongside a football development officer to ensure the long-term development of the club.”

He added: “The club needed someone to take up the reins and we have all good backgrounds in football and pre-existing business relationships. It has been a difficult time for the club but we are not interested in looking back.

“We want to keep the team up and want to support (manager) Ian Cox as much as possible.

“We are in it for the long-term. This is not a two-month project, we’re talking 15 years.

“We want to redevelop the football side right through the youth teams, and make it more of a community club. We want to be a progressive club from now on.

“We want to get the right people in to help us going forward.”