One of the main long-term figures behind the proposed multi-billion pound London Resort entertainment complex has left the board of the firm behind the scheme, it has been confirmed.

Proposed to be built on the Swanscombe Peninsula, the much-delayed £2.5billion complex was first announced in 2012 and billed as "Kent's answer to Disneyland".

But the prospective park has been fraught with delays and problems - including just last month when the BBC and ITV pulled their involvement - and its opening date pushed back to 2025. It was initially set to welcome its first guests in 2019.

Now Kuwaiti businessman Abdulla Al-Humaidi, who also owns Ebbsfleet United Football Club, has stepped down in the latest shake-up of London Resort Company Holdings (LRCH).

He first invested in the project in 2013 and, in 2017, was joined by his brother Dherar Al-Humaidi.

In 2018, Abdulla took over full responsibility for the project amid fears it was not progressing at sufficient pace.

Although he has now left the board, LRCH insists he will "remain involved on a day-to-day basis and give the project his full support".

His brother remains on the board.

Also departing is Ayman Chit, who joined the board in 2017 and served as the group's chief financial officer.

His departure is significant as it comes in what LRCH describes as the "next phase of the company's capital raise" - in other words, seeking the huge investment needed to make it a reality.

Coming onto the board is a former British ambassador to Iraq and Libya, Frank Baker, as one of two new additions.

He enjoyed a distinguished career as a diplomat, working for a number of years on secondment to the US government, before being appointed British ambassador to Kuwait, then Iraq and finally Libya. Since leaving that role in 2019, he has embarked on a career in renewable energy and political and commercial risk management.

Also joining is Ahmed Al Aiban, who was instrumental in the growth of global business giant EY (Ernst & Young) in the Middle East where he served as executive chairman. Among many other roles, he served on the board of the Kuwait Investment Authority from 2017 until 2021, serving as a member of the executive committee and chairman of the audit committee.

Now they will have the task of taking the London Resort project from the drawing board and secure both the funding and permissions needed to get it approved.

The park, which will sprawl across 535 acres, is set to creating 30,000 jobs as it transforms the area into what it describes as a "vibrant leisure, commercial and employment destination".

Steve Norris, chairman of London Resort Company Holdings, and a former Transport Minister, said: “I am delighted to have been joined by professionals of such calibre and experience.

“The combined experience and contacts of the group will provide us with invaluable strategic counsel, and we are thrilled to have them on board.”

According to the Planning Inspectorate, the examining authority for the London Resort application is preparing to hold a preliminary meeting commencing on March 29, where procedural decisions about how and when to examine the application for the scheme will be made.