Bailey's Bay Cricket Club has been in a spin since Hurricane Emily shortened the eastern boundary of its Sea Breeze Oval ground.

But the club will be going batty with delight this week with the news that members can now set about repairing the damage, which has been a problem since 1987.

The Developments Applications Board has approved the cricket club's plans to reclaim the foreshore but there are a couple of catches, in the form of conditions.

President Randolph (Shorty) Spencer said: "We lost a lot of shoreline during Hurricane Emily.

"We need to get another four or five feet back so that we can build it up and sit people around that end.'' Mr. Spencer said that raising the area would also provide a better barrier against losing balls into the ocean. He added that the area would also be much safer for spectators in that area.

Conditions of the approval include the gradient of the slope and that the boulder layer must contain boulders each more than a half ton, which have to be placed at sea level.

The permission is only for the reclamation and plans for building there must still get approval.