Bath have endured a torrid year with five players leaving the club after various drug-related incidents, but they are optimistic that their need to redevelop the Recreation Ground will turn into reality after years of frustration.

The club want to develop their ground into one capable of holding at least 15,000 spectators, but because their landlord is a trust, which is overseen by the Charity Commission, they have got nowhere and have considered building a new stadium in the area or moving elsewhere.

The main problem has been a stipulation in the lease that the land should not be used for business purposes. Bath have to apply before the beginning of each season for permission to erect a temporary stand on one side of the ground and with Premier Rugby changing its criteria for membership in coming seasons and demanding bigger stadia, the club's future is at stake.

Bath and North East Somerset Council have come up with a plan it believes will break the impasse. It has offered the trust Firs Field in Combe Down in return for taking over the ownership of the Recreation Ground. That would allow Bath to submit proposals for redevelopment that would be subject only to normal planning regulations.

"There is a glimmer of hope," said the Bath chief executive Bob Calleja. "The landswap offer offers a solution to something that has dragged on for a long time. We remain focused on ensuring a sustainable future for the club and our preferred choice has always been to develop the Rec. Under charitable law we cannot play professional sport on the land and the council taking over the ownership seems to us the best way forward."

The proposed deal would see Firs Field be given the equivalent status of a village green with covenants to protect it. The trust that oversees the Recreation Ground has welcomed the initiative, but the final decision lies with the Charity Commission.