Campaigners are calling for the Isle of Man's "medieval abortion law" to be brought in line with England, Scotland and Wales.

Although it is not currently illegal, the group said it is "almost impossible" for women to have a termination on the island.
A spokeswoman for the Campaign for Abortion Law Modernisation (CALM) said the law needs to be brought up to date.
A termination must meet certain criteria, said the Manx government.
Currently, fewer than 10 terminations are carried out on island each year.
For hundreds of women, that means a trip to the UK to pay for their own procedure as it is not available to Manx women on the NHS.
A woman who wanted to remain anonymous said she became pregnant in an abusive relationship.
"I told my GP that I was pregnant and I didn't want to be and all he said was: 'Let me know if you change your mind.'
"After that, it was literally me and the Yellow Pages."
She added: "There is no other option than to get on a boat or plane - we're not in the 1950s - it's medieval."
A second woman said she felt "incredibly isolated".
"I got myself into debt and I was instilled with so much fear dodging people I knew at the airport. I don't remember parts of it because it was so traumatic.
"Flying back from the UK was the worst part. I was in so much pain because of the altitude. It was all unnecessary and I should have been at home".
CALM's Suzy Holland said: "We want equality for Manx women.
"We don't want abortion on demand or as a contraceptive. It is a much bigger issue and the law needs to be brought up to date".
The Termination of Pregnancy Act 1995 is still the law governing abortions in the Isle of Man.
It allows for a termination on a number of grounds such as a pregnancy arising from a criminal offence such as rape, and on certain mental health grounds.
But campaigners believe the "burden of proof to meet these criteria is such that it can be almost impossible for a woman to have her pregnancy terminated".
The act was brought in to update an existing law - which was largely based on the 1872 Criminal Code - which made the act of abortion illegal.


Blackpool's promotion hopes were given a boost as two second-half goals handed them victory over Stevenage.

Both teams were locked on 27 points going into the game, just outside the play-off positions, and substitute Bright Osayi-Samuel's curled finish from the edge of the box initially separated the well-matched sides.
Mark Cullen scored a late second to seal Blackpool's eighth league win of the campaign following their 4-1 win against Newport in their last league outing.
The first half was a close affair as Tom Pett and Kyle Vassell impressed for Stevenage and Blackpool respectively.
In the second half Brad Potts was unable to find the target from a free header and Fraser Franks forced a save from Sam Slocombe.
Eventually 18-year-old Osayi-Samuel broke the deadlock in the 77th minute with a curling finish past Chris Day from the edge of the box - his first senior goal.
Cullen then took advantage of Dean Wells' slip to pick the ball out of the air and fire in six minutes from time.
Report provided by the Press Association.
Match ends, Stevenage 0, Blackpool 2.
Second Half ends, Stevenage 0, Blackpool 2.
Attempt missed. Luke Wilkinson (Stevenage) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right following a set piece situation.
Substitution, Blackpool. Jim McAlister replaces Kyle Vassell.
Tom Pett (Stevenage) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Jack Payne (Blackpool).
Ronnie Henry (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Kyle Vassell (Blackpool).
Corner,  Blackpool. Conceded by Tom Pett.
Goal!  Stevenage 0, Blackpool 2. Mark Cullen (Blackpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Andy Taylor.
Steven Schumacher (Stevenage) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Steven Schumacher (Stevenage).
Jack Payne (Blackpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Stevenage. Jobi McAnuff replaces Henry Cowans.
Goal!  Stevenage 0, Blackpool 1. Bright Samuel (Blackpool) right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom right corner.
Tom Pett (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Danny Pugh (Blackpool).
Attempt saved. Fraser Franks (Stevenage) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Henry Cowans (Stevenage) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Kelvin Mellor (Blackpool).
Substitution, Stevenage. Rowan Liburd replaces Charlie Lee.
Substitution, Blackpool. Bright Samuel replaces Danny Philliskirk.
Corner,  Stevenage. Conceded by Clark Robertson.
Fraser Franks (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Mark Cullen (Blackpool).
Tom Pett (Stevenage) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Tom Pett (Stevenage).
Brad Potts (Blackpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Blackpool. Mark Cullen replaces Jamille Matt.
Attempt missed. Brad Potts (Blackpool) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Substitution, Stevenage. Matt Godden replaces Harry McKirdy.
Attempt missed. Brad Potts (Blackpool) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Kyle Vassell (Blackpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Steven Schumacher (Stevenage).
Foul by Luke Wilkinson (Stevenage).
Jamille Matt (Blackpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Corner,  Stevenage. Conceded by Brad Potts.
Charlie Lee (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Tom Aldred (Blackpool).
Foul by Harry McKirdy (Stevenage).


The collapse of electrical chain Comet will cost the government £49.4m in redundancy payments and tax revenues, administrators Deloitte have revealed.

The redundancy money owed to thousands of former Comet workers totals £23.2m, and will be paid by the government's Redundancy Payments Service (RPS).
Meanwhile, £26.2m is owed in taxes to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
The last 49 Comet stores will close on Tuesday. Comet went into administration last month.
Comet's demise is one of the biggest High Street casualties of recent years.
The 236-store business, which at the time employed about 7,000 people, was bought last year for the nominal sum of £1 by private equity firm OpCapita.
Founded in 1933 as a business charging radio batteries.
Opened its first store in Hull in 1968.
Bought by Woolworths and B&Q owner Kingfisher in 1984, which expanded Comet into one of the UK's best-known retail brands.
In 2003 Comet became part of Kesa Electricals, after Kesa was demerged from Kingfisher.
It was announced in November 2011 that Comet would be sold to private equity group OpCapita for just £1.
OpCapita was also given £50m by Kesa as part of the deal.
High Street casualties
OpCapita bought the Comet from Kesa Electrical, which also gave OpCapita £46.8m of working capital.
However, OpCapita failed to turnaround Comet's fortunes, as the company continued to suffer from the fall in UK consumer spending during the recession, and the big growth in online rivals.
Comet was founded in Hull in 1933 and began life selling batteries and radios.
The closure of the final Comet's stores comes after Deloitte failed to find a buyer for the company.
Deloitte also revealed on Monday that Comet's losses in the year to April totalled £95m, while its revenues slumped by £200m.
In the subsequent five months, Comet lost a further £31m.
Kesa Electricals was renamed Darty in July this year.
Despite having its headquarters in London, it focuses on the continental market - especially France, where it has more than 200 stores under the Darty name.


Wales should have a register of all children educated at home, says a report into an eight-year-old boy who died from scurvy.

Dylan Seabridge became ill at his family's isolated farmhouse in Pembrokeshire and died in 2011.
A child practice review found that the boy had no direct contact with agencies such as doctors, nurses and teachers from the age of 13 months.
His parents disputed the findings of an inquest conclusion of scurvy.
The independent review report has called for the Welsh Government to introduce a compulsory register of home-taught children.
Author Gladys Rhodes White said that the current legislation is in "stark contrast" to the Welsh Government's commitment to the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child.
The report acknowledged that parents have the right to educate their child at home rather than at school, and that home education was not in itself a risk factor for abuse or neglect.
But it stated that there was potential for children to become 'invisible'.
The review claimed that in the case of Dylan, the family was isolated from mainstream universal services and that it "could be argued he was not having the opportunity to have his basic human rights met".
"He was not routinely having access to play, leisure, sporting and cultural activities along with friendships and age appropriate socialisation. When he encountered health problems he was not given the  right to appropriate health care," the report said.
The review said it appeared that the child's emotional and physical wellbeing had been compromised.
"His parents had parental responsibility and a duty to provide appropriate care, including the need to seek medical attention for his health needs. This did not happen," it added.
Parents Julie and Glynn Seabridge, from Dolau in Eglwyswrw, were charged with neglect but the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case in 2014, and not guilty verdicts were entered.
The parents also disputed an inquest ruling that their son died from scurvy, a rare condition caused by lack of vitamin C. They said they did not believe he had scurvy and thought he was suffering from growing pains.
The report said they chose not to engage with the child practice review, and it was "their strongly held view that the review should not go ahead".
It emerged earlier this year that concerns were raised about Dylan more than a year before he died.
Education officials visited the Seabridges but they were not allowed access to the home, and they had no power to see Dylan.
"It is particularly poignant that in conducting this review we have no sense whatsoever of this child. Who was he, what did he like, what were his thoughts and aspirations?" added Gladys Rhodes White.
"There is a total lack of information on him other than very limited glimpses gleaned from the information presented by the family.
"It is tragic that there are many references that the child was 'invisible'."
Responding to the report, Welsh Government officials said the findings would be carefully considered.
"This is a very sad case and it is vital everyone working with children and adults learn lessons from the review," a spokesman said.
"This will include us looking at our guidance across the public services and the third sector to see if there are areas we can change and improve."
But the chief executive of a home education body in Cardiff has argued that there is no need of a change in legislation.
"I don't see any benefits from it. I can't see what it will achieve in the long run," said Jayne Palmer, chief executive of New Foundations Home Education.
"I think more families will go into hiding, rather than risk being identified by local education authorities and being victimised by those who don't know what they are doing."
She said current laws are "more than adequate" to allow social services or education officials to get access to a child if concerns are raised.


A biscuit manufacturer is to close its Wirral factory, with the loss of 342 jobs.

Burton's Foods, which owns and bakes brands such as Jammie Dodgers and Wagon Wheels, said it was closing its site in Moreton after a business review.
The company said it would invest Â£7m at its manufacturing sites in Edinburgh and Llantarnam, South Wales.
It also plans to consolidate its Knowlsey multi-site distribution operations in a single location.
Burton's Foods intends to phase down production from March before completing the closure later in 2011.
Chief executive Ben Clarke said: "Today's announcements recognise the need to transform our supply chain.
"The proposed job losses are deeply regrettable, but, along with the new Â£25m investment we are making in our UK manufacturing capability, will help deliver sustainable profitable growth for the company in a highly competitive and challenging market."
Angela Eagle, Labour MP for Wallasey, said it was a "huge blow to the community".
"This is the largest private sector employer in the constituency and they have decided to close this plant at a time when the job market is deeply depressed, leaving 342 families struggling after Christmas.
"I will pledge to work during the consultation to persuade them to change this decision."
She added: "Over the years we have given endless support to the plant, injecting public money to keep it going and secure those jobs, and it is a devastating blow that they turn around today and do this to Morton."
Wirral Council leader Councillor Jeff Green said: "I am incredibly disappointed by this proposal and will be seeking an urgent meeting with Burton's to examine and discuss the reason behind their decision.
"I also wish to investigate whatever opportunities there are to continue to work with the company to secure jobs in Wirral and the future of the site."
The Unite union's national officer Jennie Formby said: "Burton's has been part of the Wirral for generations, providing stable employment for families across the community.
"So we will fight with all our power to save this plant because closure is not an option. It will devastate this community."
Edinburgh MSP David McLetchie has welcomed the announcement of further investment at Burton's Sighthill factory, which has more than 600 permanent and 250 agency staff.
Mr McLetchie said: "This is great news for the Sighthill workers as well as a huge relief, because when Burton's announced this review of its facilities across the UK back in October there was a distinct possibility that Sighthill could be closed or seriously run down."
Burton's Foods, which makes branded and own-label biscuits and snacks, is the second largest biscuit supplier in the UK.
As well as Wagon Wheels and Jammie Dodgers, it also makes Cadbury's chocolate biscuits including the Crunchie, Turkish Delight and Caramel biscuit ranges.


Young Leeds United goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell has signed a new two-year contract.

The 19-year-old made his debut for the Championship side in the 1-1 draw with QPR in April.
"It's a massive club and it's a great privilege to be a part of it moving forward," he told the club website.
"I was never in doubt about where I wanted to be or where my future lies. It was just about getting the final pieces sorted - now it's all done."


Four people were taken to hospital and nine others arrested at an illegal rave attended by more than 1,000 people in south London.

The window of a police van was smashed and missiles thrown at officers during the party at a disused building on Cherry Orchard Road, in East Croydon.
More than 1,000 people were gathered outside the venue and up to 300 partygoers were estimated to be inside.
Gavin Barwell, MP for Croydon Central, said the disruption was "unacceptable".
Officers on routine patrol noticed large numbers of people going towards the unlicensed party at about 21:40 BST on Saturday.
They called for additional help and cordoned off the area to stop "dangerously large numbers of people" from getting in, but the some in the crowd became violent, the police said.
Two people were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder and are being held at a south London police station.
Seven others were also arrested in connection with violent disorder, drugs offences and money laundering.
The Met Police said they expected to make further arrests "as a result of evidence gathered during the police operation overnight and at the scene".
One person with head injuries and another person suffering a hand injury were taken to a south London hospital.
Inspector Dave Sutton, from Croydon Police, said: "Although the decision was taken to allow the event to continue while preventing further large numbers of people from gaining entry, police in Croydon will not tolerate violent disorder in any form."
Jerome, who did not want to give his full name but went to the rave, said: "It was chaos, people were screaming and throwing things out of the windows."
Two other people were also taken to hospital for treatment after becoming unwell.
London Ambulance also attended the incident and paramedics treated seven people at the scene.
Police said officers entered the building at 08:30 BST.
Mr Barwell said the party posed a safety risk as he believed there was only one entrance and exit.
"It is clearly unacceptable to have a situation where people are allowed to occupy a building, disrupt the whole public transport system and keep a lot of the people that live in the area up all night," the Conservative MP said.
"I'm all for people having a good time but it has to be in a safe environment."
Tram services at East Croydon station were disrupted by the incident and road closures have been in place.
Croydon Council leader Tony Newman said a clear-up operation was under way to make the building safe.
"I would like to reassure residents the illegal rave which took place in Croydon overnight has been contained, and thanks to the efforts of the police there were no serious injuries to contend with," he said.
He added the council was discussing responsibility for security of the site with Royal Mail.


A pedestrian who was killed in a collision that police believe may be linked to an earlier disturbance at a flat in Surrey has been identified.

Thomas Farr, 31, died from multiple injuries after he was hit by a car on the A22 Caterham bypass, at about 23:00 GMT on 26 March.
Police said his death may be linked to an "altercation" at a flat in Croydon Road, when another man was stabbed.
An inquest into Mr Farr's death has been opened and adjourned.


Events will be held next year to mark the centenary of the Battle of Jutland, the biggest naval battle in World War One, the government has said.

More than 6,000 British personnel and 2,500 Germans died in the battle, which involved around 250 ships.
A series of commemorative events will take place in the Orkney Islands and elsewhere on 31 May 2016, Culture Secretary John Whittingdale said.
The battle took place on 31 May 1916 in the North Sea near Denmark.
Although it was the only major naval battle of the war, it became the largest sea battle in naval warfare history in terms of the numbers of battleships engaged, and it brought together the two most powerful naval forces of the time.
Mr Whittingdale told the BBC the planned events would be "an opportunity to pay tribute to the people who lost their lives in the battle and to recognise the enormously important role of the Royal Navy".
Events include a service at the UK's most northerly cathedral, St Magnus Cathedral, in Orkney, and a commemoration at the Royal Navy Cemetery at Lyness on the island of Hoy.
After months of shadow boxing, in which the world's two most powerful navies each sought to lure the other into a trap in the North Sea, it was the only time they met -and only the third full-scale encounter between fleets of "dreadnought" battleships in history. There was never to be another.
For the Royal Navy the battle was a tactical defeat but a strategic victory: the German battleship fleet never again ventured out.
Instead, the Germans switched to indiscriminate submarine warfare in the hopes of starving Britain into peace talks.
But when American ships were among those torpedoed, the United States abandoned neutrality and joined the war on the French and British side, tipping the balance of men, money and materiel decisively against Germany.
For the wartime British public hoping for a second Trafalgar, Jutland was a disappointment.
But worse was to come in that dreadful summer of 1916.  A month after Jutland the British and their allies launched their attack on the Somme - a battle in which more than one million men were wounded or killed.
There will also be a wreath-laying ceremony at sea on Jutland Bank by British and German ships, the laying of commemorative paving stones in honour of the four Victoria Cross recipients from the Battle of Jutland and commemoration of casualties buried in Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
HMS Caroline, the last survivor of the Battle of Jutland, will be opened as a museum in Belfast, and there will be a series of services at naval memorials around England including Portsmouth, Plymouth, and Chatham in Kent, as well as events in Germany.
Mr Whittingdale said he hoped these events would help to further the knowledge and understanding of younger generations about the war.
The war at sea: 1914-18
Councillor Jim Foubister, vice convener of Orkney Islands Council, said it was fitting that Orkney would host the national commemoration services because many sailors, who took part in the battle, were buried in Lyness, on the island of Hoy.
He added: "Over the months ahead, children in our schools will look at many aspects of the war, at Orkney's role and the contributions of our forbearers.
"In this way we can help ensure that those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their countries are never forgotten."
Among those attending services in Orkney will be Nick Jellicoe, who is the grandson of the late Admiral John Jellicoe, who led the British Navy at the Battle of Jutland.
Mr Jellicoe said: "Jutland has been an exciting and rewarding journey of discovery through which I've come to deeply admire a man I never personally knew - my grandfather.
"Listening to other peoples' memories - from my extended family or complete strangers - has brought him to life for me.
"I only wish that I'd asked the one person who knew him better than anyone: my own dad. Those are memories I would have cherished."


Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios set his sights on one day taking Rafael Nadal's world number one ranking after beating the Spaniard at Wimbledon.

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Wildcard Kyrgios, 19, won 7-6 (7-5) 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 on his Centre Court debut and will play Milos Raonic in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Former champion John McEnroe said Kyrgios could win the title this year and has high hopes for his future.
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"I want to be the number one player in the world," said the Australian.
"That's my motivation. I've never had anything like this happen in my life."
Ranked 144, Kyrgios is the first man outside the top 100 to beat a world number one at a Grand Slam since Jim Courier lost to Andrei Olhovskiy in 1992.
Kyrgios has spent much of this year on the lower Challenger circuit, winning a title in Nottingham on the eve of Wimbledon after losing to world number 185 John Patrick Smith the week before.
"It's just extraordinary," said Kyrgios. "I'd never think after that match I'd be in the quarters of Wimbledon three weeks later."
Three-time champion and BBC commentator McEnroe compared Kyrgios to German Boris Becker, who won Wimbledon as a 17-year-old in 1985.
"He absolutely believed that he was going to win this match and he is acting to me like he could win this tournament," McEnroe said.
"The last guy I saw like that was Boris Becker, a young teenager with no fear whatsoever who just believed 'no matter what comes my way, I am going to be better than them'."
Asked about the prospect of winning the title on Sunday, Kyrgios said: "I hope so. I'm going to stay grounded.
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"I'm going to go home tonight and do everything possible for my next round tomorrow. Milos has probably got the best serve in the world. I'm just going to go out there and have fun again."
Kyrgios hammered down 37 aces and was broken only once by 14-time Grand Slam champion Nadal.
"On the big stage, it's something I thrive on," said Kyrgios.
"The atmosphere, the crowd. I just love it when at 5-3 in the fourth set, they erupted, the crowd. I just love that feeling.
"At that stage, you just think about all the work you put in. Especially with my serve, if I just go after it, hit the right spots, I'm going to have a pretty good shot to close out a match like that today."
The teenager will return 24 hours later to take on Raonic, the equally big-serving eighth seed, in the third match on Court One.
"It's going to be a tough ask, but I'm going to do everything possible and see how my body responds tomorrow," said Kyrgios.
"If I come up short, I come up short. I'm going to give it my best shot and, whatever happens, happens."
Andrew Bulley coached Kyrgios between the ages of four and 14 and did not expect the teenager to become a world beater.
"I never thought it," he told BBC 5 Live's Phil Williams show. "You coach these kids and you obviously have hopes and dreams for these children, but there are so many things that can happen along the way,
"In Australia, we've had a lot of players who've been good when they're young and they fade out when they get to the senior ranks.
"Nick, though, seems to have the game to push through and make a mark on the senior tour."
Nadal dropped his own serve just once in four sets against Kyrgios, but admitted he could do little against such strong serving.
"When you have an opponent who decides to hit the ball really strong and serve like that, you are in trouble," said the Spaniard.
"I don't think that I played badly. I hadn't seen him playing on the other surfaces - grass is only two three tournaments a year - but when you serve that big you will always have a chance."


Linfield boss David Healy is predicting a stern test against Championship leaders Larne in the League Cup clash at Windsor Park.

"It will be tough game - Larne have started the season well and they will enjoy coming to Windsor," he said.
"I expect they will probably sit in and hit us on the counter-attack."
Cliftonville are chasing a fifth straight League Cup success and the Reds host Lisburn Distillery in one of 16 second-round games on Tuesday night.
Distillery have dropped down to the Intermediate League just five years after winning the competition.
Glenn Ferguson was among the top players in the side which defeated Portadown 2-1 in the decider, with David Cushley scoring the winner.
Premiership champions Crusaders start their League Cup challenge against Loughgall at Seaview.
Crues boss Stephen Baxter is set to give fringe players a run-out after Saturday's 2-1 win over Portadown put the north Belfast side back at the league summit.
"We will assess injuries from Saturday but the players waiting to come in are very capable with loads of Irish League experience," said Baxter.
"Whatever side takes to the pitch on Tuesday night it will be a very experienced Crusaders line-up."
Coleraine entertain Limavady Utd in a derby encounter while a busy night of fixtures also includes Glentoran travelling to take on Championship minnows Annagh United.
There will be live commentary and reports on the League Cup action on BBC Radio Ulster MW 1341 and the BBC Sport website.


It has been 2,384 days since Gloucester City last played a competitive game at home.

The yellow and black painted walls still mark out the Tigers' territory at Meadow Park, their residence since 1986.
But inside the ground, it is like the ghost of football past.
"When you see it in this state it brings a lump to my throat," supporters' trust chairman Lee Mills told BBC Sport.
It is the first time Mills has stepped foot in his club's home since it was devastated by a third major flood in 17 years, in the so-called summer of 2007.
The grass on the pitch is eight feet tall and littered with rogue trees and recycling bins. Seats have been ripped up, the roofs of the dugouts have caved in.
The directors' box - supposedly the best view in the house - is surrounded by smashed glass, and a dishevelled mattress suggests that the space has become shelter for someone who, like the club, is homeless.
"It still looks so familiar," Mills added, standing in his beloved T-end stand. "The paint on the far side I remember vividly. I painted that on a Sunday afternoon. We were so proud of our stadium."
When the River Severn burst its banks after three days of torrential July rain and spilled into Meadow Park, the water reached the top of the crossbar of the goalposts - that image, captured by fan Neil Phelps, became synonymous to the situation.
The deluge eventually subsided, but it left a trail of destruction.
And after six years of setbacks, the Conference North club have no 'home' to host League Two Fleetwood in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Instead, they will once again travel 12 miles to their temporary base at Cheltenham Town for their first round tie.
"The fans do their best," said life-long supporter Matt Yates of their attempts to make Whaddon Road feel like home. "We put our flags on the seats to hide some of the red."
And Mills admitted: "We've got used to the nomadic lifestyle. If we had a home ground tomorrow I don't think a lot of us would know how to run it."
Last year, there was genuine hope among fans that after five years on the road - first at Forest Green before Cirencester then Cheltenham - Gloucester were on their way home.
With the financial backing of owner Eamonn McGurk, the board had worked for three years on the perfect plan to build a brand new ground, within the original boundaries, which included flood defences and substantial business development in the area.
But in September 2012, they received the news that Gloucester City Council could not approve the plans without more detailed flood risk assessments - which would cost up to £100,000.
It put them back to square one and financial problems started to escalate.
With less people willing to travel to a 'home' game, little money was coming in. In one game, against Droylsden, only 142 supporters turned up, meaning the Tigers were left with £21 profit.
Last season ended with players deferring their wages and with Gloucester struggling to pay rent.
"I used to have dark hair when I started. Now it's grey and falling out," said chairman Nigel Hughes, only half-joking.
Finances are now balanced, albeit precariously, and scaled-down plans for the stadium have been drawn up ready for submission.
Hughes confirmed the troublesome flood assessments will be handed to the Environment Agency in the next four to six weeks, and then the club will again have to wait to see if the plans are finally approved.
"We need it before the new year to give everyone a boost," he continued.
"I'm reconciled to playing in Cheltenham for the next 18 months but if we got the decisions through by the end of the year, we could really address it then.
"We've experienced some strange decisions in the past and I can't say 100% that we're going to get everything signed off, but my gut feeling is that we will."
But gut feelings may not be enough for some fans. They want a definitive action plan.
"The fact we're not even close to being back here is so depressing," said Matt Phillips, who joins Mills and Yates in the supporters' trust.
"In my mind, the best route home is the quickest route home. It's time the focus is shifted a little bit on to the people who are responsible for us being away from Gloucester."
Mills concurs: "It's been tiring. It's tiring to have to travel an hour for a game. I'm constantly having questions from fans saying 'what's the latest on the ground? Are we coming back?'. It's tiring to have to give the answer of 'I don't know'."
As a supporter himself, Hughes empathises with the people in the stands. But as the voice of the people in charge, he insists they are doing all they can.
"There's been some people on the outside who have been happy to knock the efforts of those who have tried hardest to sort this," he said.
"It's very easy to spend other people's money and talk about how it should be done. There's been a lot of money invested to keep us at this level.
"Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Knowing what we know now we would have done things differently. However, we can't go back. We are where we are and we have to focus on the positive news that will hopefully come forward."
With all the hoopla of the stadium, it is easy to forget Gloucester's achievements on the pitch.
The Tigers won promotion from the Southern League in 2008-09 and this is the second consecutive season they have reached the money-spinning FA Cup first round.
They have already earned £24,000 from their run in the qualifiers and are set to pocket a further £6,750 from TV highlights of their game with former non-league rivals Fleetwood.
The money they have already earned from their cup run alone would virtually pay the rent at Cheltenham for another year.
But without a firm resolution to their future, some are struggling to take the positives.
"This season has been the worst since going away. I'm a patient person but after six years of waiting around I'm getting frustrated. We want a spade in the ground," said Yates.
"I was brought here by my parents. That's what we are missing now. We are missing a whole generation of kids.
"Something needs to happen soon otherwise I fear we will lose the club. And what are we going to do on a Saturday afternoon if there's no football to watch?"


Lewis Hamilton claims Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg admitted in a post-race meeting that he deliberately hit him during Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix.

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Hamilton's race was effectively ended when he suffered a puncture on lap two at Spa after Rosberg collided with him.
The German went on to finish second, extending his lead in the championship to 29 points with seven races left.
"We just had a meeting about it and he basically said he did it on purpose," said Hamilton.
The 2008 world champion added: "He said he could have avoided it, but he didn't want to. He basically said, 'I did it to prove a point'."
Hamilton said he was "gobsmacked" by Rosberg's admission.
"He just came in there and said it was my fault," added Hamilton, who returned to the race after having his left rear tyre replaced only to quit with just a few laps remaining.
Mercedes said Hamilton's remarks were a "broadly accurate" representation of what went on in the meeting.
Rosberg has issued a statement since the Mercedes meeting, but did not make a reference to his remarks.
He said he "regretted that Lewis and myself touched but I see it as a racing incident.
"I was quicker at the time and there was an opportunity, so I gave it a go around the outside as the inside was blocked.
"The opportunity was there and, for me, it wasn't a risky situation."
Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff has already said the incident was "absolutely unacceptable" and blamed Rosberg for causing it.
"You don't try to overtake with the knife between your teeth on lap number two and damage both cars," said Wolff.
"Lap number two of a long race, a crash between two team-mates. It is absolutely unacceptable."
Asked if he could trust the German on the track again, Hamilton said: "I don't really know how to approach the next race."
The Englishman had already claimed that Rosberg would escape any kind of punishment from Mercedes.
But Wolff indicated that he could face action.
"If Lewis has said that it's going to be a slap on the wrist and that there's going to be no consequence, then he's not aware of what consequences we can implement," said the Mercedes chief.
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Hamilton said that Rosberg had admitted on Thursday in a team meeting that he was still harbouring resentment over the team orders controversy at the previous race in Hungary.
The Briton refused to let Rosberg past, claiming they were both racing for victory, and said the team told him he had done nothing wrong.
Sunday's incident in Belgium came as Hamilton led heading into the Les Combes chicane after overtaking polesitter Rosberg at the start.
As Hamilton turned into the second left-handed part of the chicane, Rosberg's front wing clipped his left rear wheel.
Hamilton claimed he was in the right and said other drivers, such as Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, would back that view.
"When a car is less than half a car's length alongside you, it's not your job to leave extra room," said Hamilton.
"I knew he was behind, so I continued my line and thought for sure there would be an investigation or something about it."
Wolff's criticism of Rosberg, who was booed during the post-race presentations, was echoed by former world champion Niki Lauda - who is a key member of the Mercedes team - and former F1 driver David Coulthard.
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But Eddie Jordan, a former team boss and now a BBC pundit, said he felt the Mercedes leadership was to blame.
"I think the management of the Mercedes team has been weak," he said. "They should have taken control.
"Like a child who has been naughty, they have to chastise the drivers, they have to tell them what is right and wrong. You do not attack each other in the first two laps,"
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo won the race as Rosberg extended his advantage over Hamilton with seven races remaining.
The next race is the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on 7 September.
Full race results
Belgian Grand Prix as it happened


The administration of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced a major new interpretation of the security provisions of the country's 1947 constitution, permitting its Self Defence Forces (SDF) to participate for the first time in collective self-defence related activities.

In future, the SDF will, in principle, be able to assist the forces of a foreign country in situations where either the survival and security of Japan or that of its citizens is at risk.
The new interpretation is highly controversial since it represents a sharp departure from the post-war political consensus, codified in Article 9 of the Japanese constitution, that explicitly limits Japan's use of military force exclusively to the defence of its sovereign territory and its people.
Such has been the strength of post-war Japanese pacifist sentiment, and notwithstanding the long-term alliance with the United States, that Japan's defence forces have been unable to extend their military collaboration with their US allies beyond this narrowly circumscribed role.
Under the new provisions, there are now a range of scenarios in which this type of joint defence activity might be expanded.
Examples include providing defensive support to US forces under attack in the vicinity of Japan, co-operating militarily with US forces to safeguard Japanese citizens at risk overseas, participating in minesweeping activities during a time of war, or deploying Japanese forces to protect access to energy supplies or critically important sea-lanes of communication vital to Japan's survival.
Indeed, in theory, the new interpretation will allow Japan to co-operate with any foreign country with which it has "close ties", thereby substantially expanding the scope for military co-operation with different countries and beyond the narrow remit of the defence of Japanese territory.
Opinion in Japan is divided on the merits of this change, with 50%, according to a recent Nikkei poll, opposing the new interpretation and 34% supporting it. The motives for opposition are mixed, in part reflecting the unresolved debate about Japan's post-war political identity, but also prompted by uncertainty regarding the long-term security objectives of the Abe administration.
Progressive thinkers argue that the changes overturn the pacifist legal and interpretative conventions, established in the aftermath of World War Two, guaranteeing that Japan will never again become embroiled in foreign conflicts. Given the sensitivity and importance of these political norms, critics argue they should only be changed via constitutional amendment.
While the Abe administration dominates both houses of the Japanese parliament, it is uncertain of its ability to revise the constitution rapidly and critics view the new interpretation as one of dubious political legitimacy.
There is also some fear, both within Japan and amongst its closest neighbours, most notably China and South Korea, that the new interpretation is intended to allow the government to deploy troops freely in a wide-range of conflict situations.
However, the Abe administration has explicitly ruled out such options and has been careful to distinguish between collective self-defence (intended to safeguard Japanese national interests and assets) and collective security - where states co-operate to protect their mutual interests in the face of foreign aggression. Mr Abe himself has made it clear that Japan's forces will not "participate in combat in wars such as the Gulf War and the Iraq War".
Mr Abe appears to have a number of motives for introducing the new interpretation. It will provide Japan with much greater latitude to strengthen its military co-operation with the United States - something that Washington is keen to encourage as part of the current revision of the Joint US-Japan Defence Guidelines, unchanged since 1997.
It will also open the door potentially to more active defence co-operation with other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, such as Australia and the Philippines - both of which have welcomed these changes, as they look anxiously at China's increasingly assertive maritime posture in the South and East China seas.
More generally, the new interpretation is likely to strengthen the perception that Japan has become a more "normal" state, in terms of its ability constructively to contribute to global and regional security.
The political and diplomatic dividends from such a change in attitudes are likely to be considerable, potentially strengthening Japan's long-standing bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council and adding weight to Mr Abe's recently articulated strategy of making a "proactive contribution to peace".
The new approach is not without risk. While Japan's mainstream political parties remain weak and divided, citizen activism in opposition to these changes may be energised, particularly at the level of local politics. Prefectural, city, town and village-based criticism of the government's approach has been vocal and may cost the government support in the spring elections of 2015.
Abroad, the new measures look set to further undermine an already frayed relationship with South Korea and to heighten territorial and political tensions with China.
Finally, the intentional ambiguity surrounding the details of the new interpretation provides the government with useful flexibility in deploying its forces overseas, but it also magnifies the potential for increased tactical and strategic risk at a time when regional security tensions are intensifying.
For a Japanese government that has limited experience of the high-pressure challenge of national security decision-making and crisis management, this may not be an entirely positive development.
John Swenson-Wright is head of the Asia Programme at Chatham House.


Ethiopia's army is trying to rescue 108 women and children abducted in a cross-border raid in the western Gambella region, the government says.

It blamed Friday's raid, in which 208 people died, on the Murle community from neighbouring South Sudan.
The government said the army had killed 60 of those who carried out the attack.
The Murle have previously been accused of carrying out cattle raids and stealing children to raise as their own.
A mother whose husband was killed and three of her children abducted by the attackers told the BBC that she has no hope of seeing her children again.
"I don't know if they were killed during the crossfire," Chol Malual said. "The fighting was intense and if they survived, they will be probably be killed by the Murles."
Meanwhile, additional medical personnel have been sent from the capital Addis Ababa to help treat dozens of people who were injured during the attack.
"We have treated 82 patients," a medic in the Gambella region told the BBC, "most suffering from bullet wounds to the chest, abdomen or head.
"We feel insecure here and would like the government to deploy security guards in the more dangerous areas."
Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said in an address to the nation on Sunday that Ethiopia was seeking permission to cross the border for a joint military operation with South Sudan.
Mr Hailemariam said neither South Sudan's army nor rebel forces were involved in Friday's attack.
The prime minister added that "primitive and destructive forces kill people here at various times by moving from place to place".
The targets of the raid were members of the Nuer ethnic group who live in both South Sudan and Ethiopia, the AFP news agency reports.


A farmer who owns land which a Stonehenge tunnel would pass through says it would be a "modern scar on an ancient landscape".

The government wants to build a 1.8 mile (2.9 km) tunnel past the ancient landmark in a bid to improve journey times on the A303.
But archaeologists have warned the plans would cause irreversible damage.
Farmer Rachel Hosier said if the scheme were to go ahead it would leave her "heartbroken".
The western end of the tunnel is due to emerge close to Bush Barrow, which is on Mrs Hosier's land.
Bush Barrow is an ancient burial site. When it was excavated in 1808 gold items were found alongside the body of a "stout and tall man".
The body is still buried there, surrounded by dozens of other barrows, and is referred to as Bush Barrow Man.
Mrs Hosier's great-grandfather bought the 1,300-acre farm in the 1950s.
She has stopped farming on part of the land because of the "significant archaeology" there.
She said she felt "very upset" about the planned road.
"I think it's so important that enough consideration is given as to sensitively putting this road in the environment.
"It's got to be sensitive. Not in front of Bush Barrow man," she said.
Earlier this month, a group of 21 archaeologists said there would be a "destructive impact" from the tunnel.
A body that advises World Heritage Site group Unesco has also objected to the idea.
Highways England's Andrew Alcorn said it would have to work "very carefully to sort out the setting and placement" of the western end of the tunnel.
"We're listening to what she [Mrs Hosier] is saying, we're listening to the other 9,000 pieces of correspondence we've had," he said.
The tunnel could be one of 16 national schemes that the National Audit Office (NAO) has said does not offer "value for money".
The NAO and the Department for Transport have not said which are at risk.
The tunnel was one of 112 schemes announced in a five-year road improvement strategy which is now being re-examined.
A consultation on the plan has ended, with a decision due to be made later in the year.
You can see more on this subject on Inside Out West on BBC One in the West of England at 7.30pm or on the iPlayer afterwards.


Doctors have delayed waking a Wrexham holidaymaker from a coma following a quad bike crash on the Greek island of Corfu because he has a high temperature, friends have said.

Harri Jones, 18, remains in a comfortable and stable condition.
He suffered a fractured skull and cheekbone, and lost sight in one eye following last Wednesday's accident.
It happened in Kavos on the first night of his first holiday abroad with friends.


A mural by the street artist Banksy in Folkestone has been vandalised with an obscene image.

The image of a woman staring at an empty plinth had been painted on a wall in Rendezvous Street last month for the town's Triennial Festival.
On Sunday night a spray-painted image of a penis was added to the mural, which had earlier been covered with clear plastic sheeting.
The artwork is not believed to have been permanently damaged.
Kent Police said it was investigating the incident.
Banksy confirmed that the mural, "Art Buff", was his work by posting it on his website.
After it appeared, Shepway District Council said it would work with the owner of the building in in Payers Park to ensure it remained undamaged.


Christian Eriksen scored twice as Tottenham maintained their challenge for a top-four finish and deepened Sunderland's relegation worries.

Patrick van Aanholt gave the Black Cats the lead against the run of play but Eriksen levelled as Lee Cattermole failed to clear on the goalline.
Mousa Dembele fired Spurs ahead before Eriksen's 25-yard shot deflected in off Sunderland debutant Jan Kirchhoff.
Harry Kane then converted a penalty after Kirchhoff fouled Danny Rose.
Tottenham remain fourth in the Premier League, while Sunderland drop a position to 19th following Newcastle's win over West Ham.
Relive Tottenham's win over Sunderland
Follow live coverage of Saturday's football
Although routine in the end, it was an important victory for Tottenham having lost two of their previous three home league games to fall away slightly from the leading trio of Arsenal, Leicester and Manchester City.
Mauricio Pochettino's side are now unbeaten in their past 12 league games against Sunderland, although in 11 of them they have been level at half-time.
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It was difficult to fathom how that was the case on Saturday as they totally dominated the opening 45 minutes, enjoying 70% possession and 15 shots to the visitors' three.
Dutch left-back Van Aanholt, who netted against Swansea on Wednesday, beat Hugo Lloris at his near post from Adam Johnson's pass to give Sunderland an underserved lead.
Spurs were level within 91 seconds as Lee Cattermole could only deflect Eriksen's shot into the roof of the net on the goalline after Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford - making his Premier League debut - saved from Kane.
Dembele's low left-foot shot gave Spurs a 2-1 lead and they noticeably relaxed from that point, stretching away thanks to Eriksen's second and Kane's 12th league goal of the season.
Despite being on the back foot throughout, Sunderland had looked relatively secure for almost an hour and occasionally threatened on the break.
Buoyed by successive league wins over Aston Villa and Swansea, they largely restricted Spurs to shots from outside the box in the first half.
Their failure to protect their lead until half-time proved costly, although former Spurs striker Jermain Defoe - who had scored five in his previous two games - had a chance to restore it early in the second half.
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He and Adam Johnson raced clear of the home defence but the counter-attack lost momentum and the 33-year-old fired into the side-netting.
Centre-half Kirchhoff, signed from Bayern Munich, had only made one appearance this season prior to joining Sunderland this month.
He struggled after coming on in the 58th minute, with the foul on Rose for the penalty demonstrating how much he was off the pace.
Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce said of Kirchhoff: "It's a bit risky signing players from abroad in January but we have to take that risk. Hopefully he learns from today."
Sunderland keeper Pickford spent the first half of the season on loan at Championship club Preston and Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce said it would have been wrong not to recall him as he "made such an outstanding impact".
Allardyce hopes he can follow England Under-21 international predecessors Joe Hart and Jack Butland in graduating to the full national team and, despite conceding four goals, he made an impressive league debut, replacing Vito Mannone.
The 21-year-old, who has been on loan at six different clubs over the past four years, made superb saves at full stretch in the first half to deny Kane and Eriksen.
Pickford made further stops from Kane and Rose in the second period and was not at fault for any of the goals.
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino told BBC Sport: "It was a good response to the Leicester defeat. I'm very pleased. We need to be patient.
"We had a lot of shots on target - their goalkeeper was fantastic. I feel very pleased in the last few games. The belief is fantastic. We have a very good, strong squad - today was a good example."
Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce told BBC Sport: "Our players put themselves in one fantastic position and then in the space of a minute conceded. It's one of the reasons we ended up losing.
"If we came in at half-time 1-0 up we could have built on that. It was a really sloppy thing to do. We ran out of legs in the end. In the last quarter, physically we were tiring.
"I changed the shape but that didn't work. The scoreline, 4-1, looks more comfortable than it was."
On Jordan Pickford: "Playing a keeper at a young age is not an easy decision to make. But I thought he handled it well. He might not play too many more games this season because Vito Mannone has done a fantastic job. The rest of the team up to 65 minutes were doing the job right but in the last 20 they failed miserably."
Tottenham travel to Leicester for an FA Cup third-round replay on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), which is live on BBC One, before a league trip to Crystal Palace next Saturday (15:00 GMT). Sunderland host fellow strugglers Bournemouth on the same day (15:00 GMT).


Asif Ali Zardari is one of Pakistan's most controversial political figures who survived a series of personal and political setbacks to gain the presidency.

His is the first elected government in Pakistan to serve a full term.
But since taking the helm in September 2008, Mr Zardari has presided over an increasingly fragile country, a growing militant threat, a turbulent relationship with the US, an uneasy relationship with the military and nationwide flooding.
Furthermore a separatist insurgency in the south-west has not eased, and both the economy and the energy situation have worsened.
In May 2011 he had to cope with the fall-out in Pakistan of the killing by US special forces of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in the town of Abbottabad.
Recriminations over the killings reflected the traditionally poor relations between his Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the army as well as tenser relations with Washington, already strained because of continued US drone strikes against militant targets in the north-west of his country.
The fall-out from Bin Laden's death exposed the uneasy relationship between the PPP and Pakistan's military and intelligence services in the governance of the country.
During his period in power, Pakistan was hit by numerous suicide bombings - some directed against military and political targets and some more sectarian in nature. Because of militant attacks, the PPP has been all but unable to campaign for the general elections due on 11 May.
Among the many opponents ranged against him are some of the country's most popular politicians, including former PM Nawaz Sharif and more recently former cricketer and Movement for Justice party leader Imran Khan.
Both have been critical of President Zardari's support for the US and Nato in the battle against Taliban militants in Afghanistan.
Yet in spite of the wide array of problems he faces, President Zardari has remained doggedly in position - outlasting Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani who in 2012 was forced out of office after the Supreme Court convicted him of contempt for failing to pursue a corruption case against the president.
Mr Zardari's mercurial career has taken many a dramatic turn since his marriage in December 1987 to the charismatic former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
He was thrust into the centre of politics when Ms Bhutto was assassinated 20 years later.
Since then and now his career has veered from being imprisoned for corruption - complaining that he was tortured when behind bars - to taking the country's top job by leading the PPP to victory in general elections after his wife's death.
Perhaps the high point of his political life came in 2008 when he played a pivotal role with former political enemies to force President Pervez Musharraf to resign.
But he has also been the subject of unfavourable scrutiny - in 2010 he was widely criticised for visiting Europe at the height of some of the worst floods to hit Pakistan in recent years.
In November 2011 he was dealt another blow by the resignation of Pakistan's ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani.
Both Mr Haqqani and the president were accused of drafting a controversial memo in which they  allegedly sought US military help against a possible military coup in Pakistan. They denied the charges.
But his political struggles today are still a far cry from the period before Ms Bhutto's death, when Mr Zardari's public image was so bad that the PPP kept him out of the public eye as much as possible during the campaigning for national elections in February 2008.
Mr Zardari was seen then as a political liability.
He spent several years in jail on charges of corruption. He was labelled "Mr 10%" for all the kick-backs he is alleged to have received.
He found himself in major trouble in 1990 when he was accused, among other things, of tying a remote-controlled bomb to the leg of a businessman and sending him into a bank to withdraw money from his account as a pay-off.
Those charges were never proved. The PPP had then accused the country's powerful intelligence apparatus of maligning Mr Zardari to damage Ms Bhutto's image.
In 1993, when then President Ghulam Ishaq Khan sacked the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Mr Zardari was escorted from the prison straight to the presidency where he was sworn in as a minister in the interim government.
Later, when the PPP won the 1993 elections, Mr Zardari moved with his wife to the Prime Minister's House in Islamabad where he lived for the next three years.
In 1996, when another president sacked the PPP government, he was arrested and charged with a number of offences including the murder of Mir Murtaza Bhutto, his wife's brother.
He was later charged, along with his wife, and convicted in a kickbacks scam involving a Swiss company, SGS.
But a mistrial was declared by Pakistan's Supreme Court following a major scandal involving the accountability bureau and the judge who had issued the verdict.
His last prison sentence lasted eight years until 2004, during which time he says he was tortured.
It ended as the then General Musharraf was engaged in protracted negotiations with Benazir Bhutto, then in self-imposed exile, for some form of political reconciliation.
Mr Zardari resolutely stood by his party as well as his wife - although at times he disagreed with the politics of both.
His friends say this was entirely in character and that no-one can deny his personal courage.
A close friend recounts an incident in the 1980s when as a horse-riding bachelor he personally rescued the daughter of a German diplomat who had fallen into a bog with her horse.
Asif Ali Zardari was born in Karachi to Hakim Ali Zardari, head of one of the "lesser" Sindhi tribes, who chose the urban life over rustic surroundings.
He grew up in Karachi and was educated at St Patrick's School - also the alma mater of Pervez Musharraf.
The young Zardari's main claim to fame was that he had a private disco at home, helping him gain the reputation as a "playboy".
After his release from prison in 2004, Mr Zardari kept a low profile, undergoing medical treatment in the US.
In addition to his heart problems he is reported to suffer from diabetes and a spinal ailment - which sometimes prevent him from easily moving around.
Ms Bhutto appreciated her husband's loyalty, saying that "despite his failings, he always stood by his family no matter what".


Ethiopia's Saint George defeated AS Vita Club of the DR Congo 1-0 in the latest round of group games in this year's African Champions League.

In Sunday's other game, multiple former champions Al Ahly of Egypt beat Wydad Casablanca 2-0.
A goal from Ethiopia international Saladin Said was enough to give the home side a victory in front of their home fans in Addis Ababa on Sunday.
Said's 60th minute strike helped the Ethiopian side boost their hopes of reaching the knock-out phase of the competition, moving them into second place in Group C.
Saint George are two points adrift of leaders Esperance of Tunisia who beat defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns 2-1 in South Africa on Saturday.
AS Vita Club - who were crowned African champions in 1973 - are bottom of the Group C standings, yet to register a single point.
In Group D, Al Ahly - the eight-times champions - secured a 2-0 win over Morocco's Wydad Casablanca at the Borg Al-Arab stadium near Alexandria.
Moemen Zakareya put them in front after 24 minutes and Junior Ajayi secured the victory with just over 10 minutes to go.
Ahly go top of the pool on goal difference over Zambia's Zanaco - with both tied on seven points from three games so far.


Work has started on a £90m riverside development in Nottingham, designed to reflect cities like Copenhagen.

Parts of the Trent Basin in Colwick, mainly an industrial area, have stood derelict for more than a decade.
Now developers Blueprint have started building the first 45 energy efficient properties and are considering continental-style floating homes.
The city council, which part owns the firm, said it hopes this will kick-start a wider regeneration of the area.
Plans are for about 400 houses and apartments set round green spaces and the old dock.
Nick Ebbs, the chief executive of Blueprint, said: "Imagine a new residential neighbourhood but think continental examples, not suburban but not dense urban, the sort of thing you would find in Amsterdam or Copenhagen.
"(For the dock) we are looking at the possibility of floating homes and of course people using it for leisure.
"There is a lot of industry here still but there are other developers working and in 10 to 15 years the aspiration is for 3,000 homes, it will be transformed."
Graham Chapman, deputy leader of the city council, said: "We have control of a lot of this land and we haven't had that before.
"For a long time land prices meant the only viable development was high-rise flats and we didn't want that."


Three boys have been rescued by a police helicopter after they became stuck on a Belfast mountain.

A search by the police air support team found the boys at about 22:30 BST on Thursday night.
The helicopter landed close to where the boys were on the mountain and they were airlifted to a sports field, where they were checked by paramedics.
Police said the boys, two aged 12 and one aged 14, were "cold but otherwise unharmed by their ordeal".
The boys were collected by family members after their medical checks.


The company mining for gold in the central Scotland has announced plans for an ore processing trial.

Scotgold Resources is targeting "first pour" production of 500 ounces of gold by the end of this year.
It wants to crush 2,400 tonnes of ore which has already been extracted at its Cononish site near Tyndrum.
The relatively low-cost bulk processing trial is to help persuade potential investors to back the larger project.
The company, based in Australia, has had lengthy funding problems, and reports that it still has not secured adequate investment on terms it finds acceptable.
It is claimed that the planned method of crushing ore and gravity-based centrifugal sifting, rather than the use of chemicals, means the initial output can be classified as "ethical".
Market research suggests that its Scottish origins may also command a premium price, it is claimed.
Scotgold Resources is seeking planning permission from Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park authority for the new phase of work.
If approved, it will start in May and run for six months. It will require £140,000 worth of new equipment installed in a shed which is already in place.
The stockpiled ore is reckoned to contain 7.9 grammes of gold per tonne, and 39 grammes of silver.
The target is to produce a doré, an impure ingot, including 150 ounces of gold. Further processing of 160 tonnes of crushed ore, which would be carried out off-site, is intended to produce a further 350 ounces.
In recent weeks of stock market turmoil, the international price for gold has risen significantly.
However, the project has been delayed by previous falls in the price of gold, lack of finance, and problems with planning permission.
The company had £446,000 in cash at the end of December. Nat le Roux, the chairman and main shareholder, has promised to fund any shortfall in seeing through the bulk processing trial.
Scotgold chief executive Richard Gray said: "This is the most tangible and exciting development undertaken by the company since incorporation.
"In addition to anticipated positive technical results, the trial will produce an historic "first pour" gold output, sufficient to determine whether there are grounds to review the mine development plan and moreover to establish Cononish as a low-cost, low-risk, near-term production, gold project."


Scientists plan to eavesdrop on whales and dolphins as part of a new plan to protect sea mammals and marine environments.

Almost Â£6m has been set aside for the project which will be centred on the Irish and Scottish coasts.
It is being led by scientists from Northern Ireland's Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI).
They are developing a network of marine monitoring devices.
The scientists will be able to record whale and dolphin chatter, allowing them to identify numbers and species in the water.
The technology will also enable them to assess whether noise from commercial fishing, or other marine industry affects them.
Dr Adam Mellor of AFBI says noise can have a big impact on sea mammals:
"Displacement from noise is a very real effect and....if it doesn't cause them to move will change their behaviours and, at the most acute levels, can cause physical and physiological damage to the animals."
As well as assessing the environment for marine mammals, scientists hope to learn much more about the salmon and sea trout which spawn in our rivers.
Very little is known about what happens to them, or where they go when they return to the open seas.
Some are to be caught, fitted with trackers and followed to try to help scientists fill in the gaps in our knowledge.
Bigger marine buoys with complex equipment slung underneath will also be used to assess the state of the oceanic climate and its impact on underwater habitats, plants and animals.


Chester midfielders Lucas Dawson and Liam Davies have both signed one-year deals with the National League club.

Ex-Stoke City trainee Dawson, 23, who has also played for Carlisle United, Nuneaton Town and AFC Telford, made 10 appearances over the closing weeks of last season after signing in March.
Davies, 21, the elder brother of Everton midfielder Tom Davies, initially signed a six-month deal.
But he has had that extended after scoring once in three appearances.
Meanwhile, fellow Chester midfielder Evan Horwood, who returned to the club for a second time last August, has now had his contract terminated by mutual agreement with immediate effect.
The experienced Horwood, 31, signed a six-month contract extension at the end of last season in May, but he has now been offered a more long-term contract elsewhere.


Whatever way you look at it, the general election campaign in Northern Ireland has got off to an uninspiring start.

So far there's been punctured talk of pacts, "blonde" bombshell bickering and a promotional "printing error", but little in the way of significant substance.
Maybe it's due to election fatigue on the part of both the prospective politicians and the public after a volley of votes in the past few years.
This year, of course, was scheduled to be election-free, but nothing generally goes to plan in the political business.
And there's still the chance of another Northern Ireland Assembly poll in the second half of 2017, should Stormont's summer talks stutter.
Back in March, a lunchtime trip to Belfast's Electoral Office on the final day of voter registration revealed a line of eager electors snaked all the way down the stairwell and out on to the street.
There was no queue when we visited on Monday - the final day for anyone hoping to register for the general election - but there was certainly a steady stream of people dropping off their forms.
Along with those updating their records with new addresses, for example, there were more than a few people putting their name down for the first time.
Among them was William Thompson. Too young to cast a ballot in March's assembly election, he said he was glad of the chance this time around.
"The vote in my area was very close last time, so I do think it'll make a difference where I live," said the 18-year-old.
"I can see some people's disillusion with voting - this is the third big vote in a year, with Brexit, the assembly and the general election."
William is doing his A-Levels and said the lack of an online service to register was a hindrance to him.
"I left this to the last moment because I didn't know where the Electoral Office was.
"It would be far simpler to do it online, rather than having to fill it in and come down and interrupt study leave."
Another student, originally from China, was registering for the first time after living in Northern Ireland for four years.
As she is a future junior doctor, healthcare and Brexit are her primary concerns.
"I saw a thing on Facebook about how young people don't really vote and if you do you can actually sway election results," she said.
"Politics is complicated - it can be really difficult to understand what's going on.
"If you don't know what's going on it's really hard to get interested."
Another man had recently returned home to Northern Ireland after a long spell of globe-trotting.
"I have never voted in any election, surprisingly, in all the years I've been eligible to vote," he explained.
"Whether I choose to in this election I'm as yet unsure - with regards to political processes and politicians, I don't put much faith in them."
And he wasn't the only returning traveller - one woman who was back in Belfast after time spent in the Middle East said she wanted to "have my say" for the first time.
"It's only in the aftermath of the Brexit vote that I've really been a lot more conscious and a lot more politically engaged," she said.
"I've been actively seeking out more and more information for myself and forming my own opinions, rather than just accepting what I'm being told."
But she's not up for a rerun of the Brexit referendum, as the Liberal Democrats suggest, even though she said last June's result was "disappointing".
"I think that you just have to leave it now - everyone will be going around the bend if we have to vote for anything else this year."
One disillusioned man in his late-20s was submitting his form after not voting for the past four years.
He said: "I'm hoping there is a neutral party out there that is thinking 20, 30 years ahead as opposed to 20, 30 years behind."
And another had a message for those who chose not to exercise their democratic right at the ballot box.
"I feel there's more damage to be done by people not making their voices heard," he said.
"Sure what harm could it do to vote?
"There's no point crying about how: 'Oh, I don't like how this certain MP got elected.'
"Well, did you vote against them? If not, you probably conceded your right to complain."
If you want to have your say on 8 June but you're not on the electoral register yet, you still have a little bit of time to sort that out.
Electoral Office buildings have closed for the day, but if you slip your registration form through the letterbox of one of the offices across Northern Ireland before midnight on Monday your name will be added to the list.
You can find more details on the Electoral Office website.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail on Monday...
BBC News NI's Campaign Catch-up will keep you across the general election trail with a daily dose of the main stories, the minor ones and the lighter moments in the run up to polling day on Thursday 8 June.
Hear more on BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra at 17:40 each weekday.


A man has been left seriously injured in hospital after being struck with a sharp object in a "targeted" street assault in Renfrew.

The 29-year-old was attacked on Glasgow Road, near Braehead shopping centre, at about 20:40 on Friday by a man who parked behind his car.
The victim was assaulted after getting out his vehicle. The suspect then drove off.
Police believe it was a "specifically targeted" attack.
The victim was taken to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow where he was treated for a serious chest injury before being released.
Police Scotland have appealed for anyone with information to come forward after the incident outside the Porcelanosa building, which is near Braehead shopping centre.
Det Con Laura Durnie said: "We do not believe that this was a random attack and believe that the 29-year-old man was specifically targeted by the suspect, never-the-less we cannot tolerate this kind of violence in our streets in Renfrewshire.
"The area of Glasgow Road which is near to the Braehead shopping centre would have been busy with people coming to and from the centre and I appeal to anyone who either witnessed this incident or has any other information that could help identify the suspect to contact police."


A lorry has overturned on the M2 in north Belfast causing major congestion for commuters.

The incident happened close to the Yorkgate rail halt, heading north.
No one was seriously injured but traffic was extremely heavy earlier on Friday. All the lanes on the M2 leaving the city have now reopened.
Earlier, the Department for Regional Development said traffic was particularly slow on the Westlink and Sydenham bypass.
Trafficwatch NI says there are tailbacks to Holywood Exchange heading into Belfast.


The Scottish Episcopal Church has voted to allow gay couples to marry in church.

It makes it the first major Christian church in the UK to allow same-sex marriages.
The vote to amend canon law on marriage, removing the stipulation that it is between a man and a woman, was carried by the Synod in Edinburgh.
It means that gay Christians from any Anglican Church can now ask to be married in a Scottish Episcopal Church.
Clergy who wish to officiate at gay marriages will have to "opt-in".
The church said this meant that those who disagreed with gay marriage would be protected and not have to act against their conscience.
The Episcopal Church's Bishop of Edinburgh, The Right Reverend Dr John Armes, said: "I am very pleased for the couples who can now have their relationships recognised by the church and blessed by God.
"I'm also pleased for what this means about our church and the way we have been able to do this. But obviously any change like this creates pain and hurt in some as well, so as a bishop of the church I feel for them."
The vote to allow same-sex marriage - which required the backing of at least two thirds of each house of Bishops, Clergy and Laity - has left the church at odds with most of the rest of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
A group of global Anglican traditionalists have now announced that they will appoint a missionary bishop "to serve the needs of those who oppose gay marriage".
A senior figure in the group, Archbishop Foley Beach, said: "Today's decision by the Scottish Episcopal Church to change the biblical and historic definition of marriage has highlighted the need to respond to the cries and pleas of those Scots who today have been marginalised by their leaders.
"The attempt to redefine marriage is not one that a faithful Christian can support."
At last year's Synod, members of the Church agreed to send the issue for discussion to its seven dioceses.
Six of them voted in favour of amending the law. Only Aberdeen and Orkney voted against the proposal.
This vote to change canon law, opening marriage to same sex couples, isn't just the latest skirmish in the religious war between traditionalist Christians and those of a more liberal leaning.
It will have profound consequences, because the issue of gay relationships has become a touchstone for those who believe that the Anglican Church has lost its way, and needs to be renewed.
Many Christians who live in the global south, where the 80-plus million Anglican Communion is at its strongest, look with horror at what they see as moves to legitimise gay relationships and lifestyles.
They not only disapprove of those lifestyles, but they see moves such as the ordination of gay clergy as evidence that the church is ignoring the will of God.
The head of the Anglican Communion is the Archbishop of Canterbury and he's come under enormous pressure from bishops in Africa and Asia to stand firm on this issue.
Those bishops are growing in influence and have formed an organisation - Gafcon - which is directly challenging the more liberal Christians of the global north.
They will be emboldened by this vote, even if they disapprove of it - and it may hasten a split in the communion, with power moving south to the churches of Africa.
Same sex marriage became legal in Scotland at the end of 2014 but the Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic Church opposed the move.
The issue has provoked passionate debate within the Anglican Communion.
In January last year, the communion sanctioned the US Episcopal Church when it decided to allow gay marriage in church.
However, last month the Church of Scotland voted to approve a report which could allow ministers to conduct same-sex weddings in the future.
And in February, a report opposing gay marriage was opposed by the Church of England's Synod.
The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion described the Episcopal Church's decision as "a departure from the faith and teaching upheld by the overwhelming majority of Anglican provinces on the doctrine of marriage".
Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon said: "The churches of the Anglican Communion are autonomous and free to make their own decisions on canon law. The Scottish Episcopal Church is one of 38, soon to be 39, provinces covering more than 165 countries around the world.
"As Secretary General, I want the churches within the Anglican Communion to remain committed to walking together in the love of Christ and to working out how we can maintain our unity and uphold the value of every individual in spite of deeply-held differences. It is important to stress the Communion's strong opposition to the criminalisation of LGBTIQ+ people.
"The primates of the Communion will be meeting in Canterbury in October. I am sure today's decision will be among the topics which will be prayerfully discussed. There will be no formal response to the SEC's vote until the primates have met."
The equality campaign group Stonewall Scotland said it was "delighted" with the outcome of the vote.
The groups's director Colin Macfarlane said: "This step allows couples to celebrate their love within their faith and sends a really positive message to other LGBT people, both here and around the world.
"It signals that members of the church welcome, recognise and respect LGBT people as part of the faith community."
The Student Christian Movement UK said: "We hope this is a watershed for LGBT inclusion in UK churches.
"Our prayers go out to all LGBT Christians who have been hurt by the Episcopal Church, and we hope this may be a turning point for healing and reconciliation."


European football's governing body Uefa has complained to Fifa about an "alleged smear campaign" against its president Michel Platini.

Uefa has asked world football's governing body to explain the apparent distribution from their headquarters of a document entitled 'Platini: Skeletons in the closet'.
It was sent anonymously to several newspapers, reports Welt am Sonntag.
Platini is running to succeed Sepp Blatter as Fifa president.
The election is due to take place in February, with former Fifa vice-president Chung Mong-joon of South Korea, ex-Brazil player Zico and Liberian FA chairman Musa Bility having also said they will stand.
"I can confirm that Uefa general secretary Gianni Infantino sent a letter of complaint to Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke," a Uefa spokesman said.
"We have asked Fifa to investigate the origin of this article because we are concerned by the reports of an alleged smear campaign against the Uefa president.
"Copies of this letter were also sent to [Fifa's independent chief ethics investigator] Cornel Borbely and [chairman of Fifa's audit and compliance committee] Domenico Scala for ethics and transparency reasons."
Fifa did not respond to a request for comment on the report in the German newspaper.
Former France captain Platini was once a close ally of Blatter but their relationship has deteriorated, with Platini telling Blatter to resign as Fifa president in May, shortly before he did so.
In an interview with Dutch newspaper Volkskrant on Saturday, the 79-year-old Blatter said there was an "anti-Fifa virus in Nyon", the Swiss region which is home to Uefa.


A man has been jailed for life for murder and attempted murder for a knife attack which left a man dead.

Michael Preston, 20, of Durban Road, Grimsby, was found guilty following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court.
Preston stabbed Dean Southwick, 29, in Churchill Way, Grimsby, on 9 October. Mr Southwick later died in Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital.
He also stabbed and seriously injured 18-year-old Charlie Day in the same attack.
Preston had denied murder and attempted murder, but admitted manslaughter and wounding.
He will serve a minimum of 26 years in prison.
Det Supt Umberto Cuozzo said: "No one would have foreseen that a small gathering of friends could have ended in such tragic and horrific circumstances.
"Preston maintained his innocence during the trial in order to try and convince that he did not act unlawfully.
"The jury saw through this account and have found him guilty of the murder of Dean and the attempted murder of Charlie. I hope this verdict provides some comfort to his family knowing justice has been done."


Watch Southern White rhinos Dozer, Kanty and Gyasi at Chessington Zoo.

21 September 2015 Last updated at 16:09 BST


Michael Kors has become the latest fashion brand to offer smartwatches.

The US firm has announced two timepieces - one targeted at each sex - powered by Google's Android Wear.
Samsung, Nixon and Fossil have also revealed new software-powered models at the Baselworld trade show. Swatch's Tissot brand unveiled its first "connected watch" too, which links up to smartphones but does not run apps.
The launches coincide with a decline in traditional watch sales.
The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry recently reported a "steep decline" in revenues, with January's 1.5bn Swiss francs ($1.6bn; Â£1.1bn) representing an 8% drop on the same month's sales in 2015.
The business group has blamed a "troubled economic situation" for the fall.
However, research firm Futuresource Consulting has reported that global smartwatch shipments now outnumber those of traditional Swiss watches.
"Many consumers are still not sure how a smartwatch will benefit them in terms of lifestyle and practicality," said its report, timed to coincide with the event in Basel.
"[But] ongoing advancements by the integrated chip manufacturers means they can go smaller - which opens up the market for more petite, women's watches, effectively increasing their total available market."
Smartwatch manufacturers that use Google's Android Wear have limited ability to customise the operating system's features, so much of their efforts are focused instead on design.
Michael Kors - whose devices are manufactured by Fossil - focused on their exclusive digital watchfaces and "glamorous style" at its launch rather than on technical specifications.
Fossil also unveiled two new smartwatches under its own brand - the Fossil Q Wander and Q Marshal - which it said were slimmer than its first-generation models.
California-based Nixon, however, had one trick up its sleeve for its first Android Wear watch - the Mission. It is water-resistant to 100m (328ft) - a record for the category - and still able to accept voice commands.
That allows Nixon to target the device at surfers, who need that level of protection because of the force with which they sometimes hit the waves.
Tissot has taken a different approach with its Smart-Touch.
The watch links up to a smartphone via Bluetooth when commanded to do so and can then provide navigation directions by moving its hands.
In addition, it can use the phone to synchronise itself to the local time zone.
The watch can also trigger an alarm on a fob, with which it is sold, in order to find mislaid keys.
Another unusual feature is a solar panel - used to recharge its battery, which is said to last up to a year before it needs to be swapped out.
"Swatch Group is the only Swiss watchmaker able to do a smartwatch on its own," boasted the firm's chief executive Francois Thiebaud.
But one attendee had doubts about its chances.
"It's difficult to see how Tissot can scale this to deliver the breadth of functionality that an open platform like Android or Tizen can offer," said Ben Wood from the CCS Insight consultancy.
"Swatch's only chance for success would be to bring this functionality to its wider range of watches."
Elsewhere at the show, Samsung revealed a tie-up with the jeweller de Grisogono to release a "limited edition" version of its Gear 2 watch.
The Tizen-powered device distinguishes itself from the standard edition by featuring more than 100 black-and-white diamonds. Its price has yet to be announced.
LVMH's watch chief also provided an update on its Android-based Tag Heuer Connected watch, which was launched in November.
At a press conference, Jean-Claude Biver said that 20,000 units had been sold so far and that his firm planned to manufacture a further 60,000 before the year's end.
"We totally underestimated demand, we were too cautious," he said.
"Next year, we'll have a real collection, a new version with six to eight models."
US manufacturer Movado has also announced plans to make more devices as part of a partnership with HP, following 2015's launch of the Movado Bold Motion.
It said it now planned to release models under the Coach, Hugo Boss, Lacoste, Juicy Couture, Tommy Hilfiger, and Scuderia Ferrari brands.
Despite all the activity, one expert said it was important not to overstate the sector's impact.
"I don't believe smartwatches have affected the high-end watch market in any appreciable way," said Ariel Adams, editor of A Blog to Watch.
"Although,  I have heard anecdotally from brands that lower-end watches - $1,000 (Â£691) and under - are becoming affected.
"This Baselworld is all about partnerships, fashion and what I call brand cross-pollination," he added.
"It's mostly a marketing play, and I cannot find any brands here that speak fluently as to what people actually do with smartwatches and why people would want one."
Apple - which is thought to be the world's bestselling smartwatch-maker - is not exhibiting  at Baselworld.
However, the firm has a press event on Monday in California where it may make related announcements.


Data roaming charges are set to be abolished within the European Union by June 2017, it has been announced.

The ban will be preceded by a 14-month interim period, in which companies can still add surcharges - but at a reduced rate.
A deal, reached on Tuesday, also sets out rules requiring telecom operators to treat most internet traffic equally.
But the net neutrality rules will allow firms to favour some services, such as internet TVs.
From April 2016, telecoms operators will be able to add a surcharge of no more than:
The cap would make roaming within the EU 75% cheaper during the interim period, the European Commission said.
The agreement is the culmination of years of campaigning to cut roaming charges and to define the EU nations' approach to regulating internet traffic - particularly in light of the US adoption of net-neutrality rules.
It largely follows proposals put forward in March this year, which analysts said were a weaker version of what European regulators had originally promised.
But it will enshrine the principle of net neutrality, which stops internet service providers (ISPs) favouring some internet traffic, in European law for the first time.
However, as mooted in March, there will be exceptions to those rules.
ISPs will be able to favour services that require high-quality internet connections, such as internet TVs, as long as they do not impinge on the overall quality of internet traffic.
The commission said they would also be able to throttle traffic if it was in the public interest to do so.
For example, to combat the proliferation of images of child sexual abuse or a terrorist attack.
The agreement will be presented to the EU's member states between July and December this year for formal adoption.
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) - the fourth largest grouping of MEPs in the European Parliament - has previously criticised regulators for trying to water down plans to end data roaming.
But it welcomed Tuesday's announcement.
The president of the ALDE group, Guy Verhofstadt, said the "great roaming rip-off" was to be brought to an end.
The group blamed the delay in successfully negotiating the deal on member states, which have been accused of seeking to protect their national operators in the past.
But Marietje Schaake MEP, another member of the group, renewed the attack on the net-neutrality deal, saying: "The compromise reached now is a watered-down version of the strong ambitions of the European Parliament."
Renata Avila, global campaign manager at the World Wide Web Foundation added: "Despite claiming to protect net neutrality, the deal agreed by the Commission, Parliament and Council has decided to allow 'specialised services', but has then failed to define what is meant by this, leaving the door open for a two-tier internet... specialised services should be tightly defined and seen as the exception, not the rule."
However, Gunther Oettinger, the commissioner for the digital economy and society, defended the net-neutrality proposals as a "pragmatic" approach.


In the classic poem by Goethe, a young sorcerer's apprentice unleashes forces he can't control.

In an attempt to make life more convenient, he bewitches a broomstick to mop the floor.
When that gets out of control, he tries to stop the whole process by splitting the broomstick in two - but that just creates two brooms, and doubles the problem.
Is that what retailers have done by offering traditional location shopping alongside online?
Click-and-collect is a fairly new battleground for UK retailers, and promises rich rewards for daring firms.
It has been hugely popular over the past five years, as customers embrace the convenience of being able to order goods online and pick them up in store or elsewhere.
John Lewis announced this week that it would start charging a £2 fee for click-and-collect purchases costing less than £30, after finding that its current free model was unsustainable.
Click-and-collect demand has boomed for the department store.
It now processes more than six million click-and-collect orders per year, compared with just 350,000 in 2008, and moves tens of thousands of parcels every night.
A spokeswoman said John Lewis had seen a 32% growth in demand for the service so far this year.
And the seemingly effortless method of shopping is anything but for retailers as it needs an army of behind-the-scenes pickers and delivery staff.
John Lewis is having to move fast to cope with demand. But it is not alone, according to Andy Mulcahy of online retail industry body IMRG.
It estimates a 20% per year growth rate in click-and-collect across all retailers.
For retailers that sell online and also have physical shops, click-and-collect accounted for 4% of online sales in 2010. That figure jumped to 17.7% in 2014, he adds.
John Lewis is in a position of strength, but this growth is causing significant problems for some retailers - especially UK supermarket giants, according to some retail analysts.
The phenomenon is adding to supermarkets' woes, rather than easing them, says Marc de Speville, the founder of Strategic Food Retail.
Free click-and-collect is "clearly a burden on supermarkets' already slim margins, as it does not bring in nearly enough incremental sales to cover the extra costs involved," Mr de Speville says.
Even Tesco, which charges £4 for click-and-collect orders below £25, still has to heavily subsidise orders above that, he says.
"All the major brick-and-mortar supermarket groups face the same problem: whether orders are picked up in store or delivered to the home, online adds considerable cost and complexity, but very little in the way of additional sales," he adds.
Supermarkets face many pressures on their profits, including a bitter price war, and having to try to regain market share from discounters.
But the more the online market grows, the more margins will be diluted, he says.
And what's more, there are "dis-economies" of scale, he adds.
Once online sales account for around 10% of a store's sales, picking of products has to be moved out to dedicated warehouses or "dark" stores.
This can duplicate running costs and means customers are less likely to visit physical stores, making them more of a drag on profits, Mr de Speville says.
"I see this 'online cannibalisation conundrum' as an even greater long-term threat to supermarkets' profitability than competition from the hard discounters such as Aldi and Lidl," he adds.
Supermarkets also face a much bigger challenge than other retailers, Mr de Speville says.
Grocery orders are much more time-consuming and costly for the retailer to fulfil than general merchandise.
So far, retailers have been split into those who have made click-and-collect work, and those who haven't.
And so far, supermarkets have been firmly on the losing side, says Phil Dorrell of Retail Remedy consultants.
"Any complexity just costs more," he says "If [click-and-collect] is not offset by an increase in market share, it's not really worth it."
For example, Asda "piled into click-and-collect" and was "very ambitious" in its targets, but it's "been a bit of a side show" for the supermarket giant, says Mr Dorrell - Asda has continued to lose market share.
"Their race towards click-and-collect hasn't done them any favours," he says.
Likewise, Morrisons "at best has been testing the water" - the supermarket chain is "not fussed about click-and-collect", and has concentrated on improving its stores - but it also has lost market share.
By contrast, there are some retailers which have really made click-and-collect work, he says.
Fashion retailer Next has been "a game changer" by being "brave and exclusively customer-focused", Mr Dorrell says.
"Next don't really put a foot wrong," he says.
If you order from Next by 10 o'clock in the morning, your order is ready the next day, he says.
Amazon has also been "doing fantastically well", he adds, pointing to the "awesome" service of one hour delivery that is being trialled in London by the company.
The common characteristic of the success of both retailers is strong leadership, which is even more important than efficient distribution and timeliness in the market, he says.
"It's about being able to see where the market's going, and being able to make strategic adjustments," he says.
So, can retailers control the powerful magic of click-and-collect shopper convenience, or will they end up being swamped?
One thing seems certain: the problems for those who don't get it right may take more than a wave of a wand to fix.


BBC Sport brings you comprehensive live coverage of the 2017 World Snooker Championship final on BBC Two, Red Button, Connected TVs and online.

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Last year's champion Mark Selby takes on four-time winner John Higgins over four sessions at the Crucible Theatre.
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Monday, 1 May
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