The new Ukip leader-elect of Thanet council says a pledge to move ahead with a proposed compulsory purchase of Manston Airport will go ahead.

The council is the first authority in the country to be controlled by Ukip after the local election last week.

The party took over control from the Labour administration and now says it is committed to deliver on its key manifesto pledge to re-open Manston as an airport.

Manston Airport

Ukip councillor Chris Wells, who is expected to be confirmed as the new leader, said he was determined to move quickly on Manston, which closed last May.

"We are committed to carrying forward on our election pledge that we will [have a CPO] and that is what will occur," he said.

He said he would review legal papers and documents but while confident there would be no obstacles, warned it would not be a quick process.

"I do expect it will be legally challenged. Clearly I have got to look at the papers but I do think it is a decision we can move forward with."

Manston airport when it was open. Picture: Simon Burchett

Manston airport's terminal stands empty

It is understood that the new administration will move ahead with a vote within the next two weeks and will not wait for the government's publication of its own review into the viability of a CPO.

The American consortium RiverOak, the company that wants to be the coouncil's indemnity partner, has already said that it is prepared to underwrite the costs associated with any CPO.

If the council does vote to trigger a CPO, it is expected to lead to a potentially protracted legal battle which could delay a final decision for many months, if not years.

The airport was acquired by owners Trevor Cartner and Chris Musgrave, regeneration specialists who want to develop the site as a mixed-use development for businesses and homes that would not involve aviation.

The fate of Manston was a key issue in the elections, with Prime Minister David Cameron making a late intervention in the campaign to lend his weight to efforts to re-open it.

Ukip won 33 of 56 seats on Thanet council, while the Conservatives have 18, Labour lost 22 seats and were reduced to just four and there is one independent.