The long-running tussle over the future of the former Manston airport site looks set to split Thanet council’s ruling Ukip administration at a crunch meeting on Thursday.

And it could lead to the possible ousting of the council leader, Chris Wells, and a new joint administration between the Conservatives and a breakaway group of as many as 12 Ukip members.

At the centre of the dispute is the former Manston airport site and whether the council should maintain a commitment to keep it for some kind of aviation use or earmark it for thousands of new homes - which is what current owners Stone Hill Park are seeking.

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Councillors are due to vote on the Local Plan tomorrow and that vote will determine whether the site should be earmarked for housing development and rule out any prospect of a return for some kind of aviation use.

The political stakes are so high that an attempt to broker a two-year stay of execution on the development of the site was discussed behind the scenes by all the political parties recently.

A leaked email from Thanet District Council chief executive Madeline Homer seen by Kent Online reveals how a proposal to defer a decision on earmarking the former airport site for housing and business for two years was considered as a way to get a consensus between the rival parties.

In doing so, that would allow the consortium RiverOak Strategic Partners time to pursue a Development Consent Order that would see the site protected for aviation use.

Ms Homer says in an email sent to all members: “This deferral would also allow any other interested parties to pursue the operational use of the airport through agreement with landowners or through becoming an indemnity partner as part of CPO process with the council.”

If councillors fail to agree on what is known as the Local Plan, which sets out a range of planning policies - notably house-building targets - up to 2031, the authority runs the risk of the government intervening.

And if the plan is derailed, there could be serious political implications as it is understood there could be an attempt to oust leader Chris Wells.

A breakaway group of 12 UKIP councillors who want the airport included in the plan are rumoured to be considering joining forces with the Conservatives to form a new administration.

The council controversially ruled out earmarking Manston for aviation use last year following a report by consultants that a cargo airport would not be commercially viable.

As a consequence, the site was assigned for housing development, in line with the plans of the owners Stone Hill Park for a mixed-use site for homes and businesses.

Council leader Chris Wells said Thanet would be forced to accept thousands more homes than it wanted if the government took charge of the local plan.

On the claim that Ukip was reneging on a key policy election pledge over Manston, he said:

“What has changed since 2015 is the failure of any serious, measurable, investor, and a viable business plan to pass the public interest test,” he said.

The council was warned last year that its failure to adopt the local plan could lead to the government taking control of the blueprint.

Communities minister Sajid Javid said he was putting the authority “on notice” and warned that a lack of sufficient progress would “no longer be tolerated” by his department.

He said councils would be ordered to increase their house-building targets where there were shortages of affordable homes.

In Thanet’s case, the target would rise to 1,063 homes a year from 857.

Labour is expected to back the plan. Cllr Karen Constantine (Lab) said: “If the Local Plan fails, the chances are high that the Secretary of State could impose the plan mandatorily on Thanet, therefore giving residents little or no say at all.”

The rival group RiverOak Strategic Partners is separately pursuing a Development Consent Order to try to acquire the site and re-open Manston as a cargo airport.