Tom Richardson has outlined his bold vision for cricket in Gloucestershire – both on and off the field.

Revealing plans to revive the county's fortunes over the next four years, the chief executive is predicting a brighter future for a club which has been in the doldrums in recent seasons.

He is promising long-suffering members that he and in-coming director of cricket John Bracewell will leave no stone unturned in their quest to bring back the glory days.

Regarded as one-day kings when Bracewell led them to six titles in seven seasons between 1998 and 2003, Gloucestershire have experienced a dramatic fall from grace.

But Bracewell returns for a second spell in charge of the club's on-field affairs on March 2 and Richardson is setting his sights on regaining a place at English cricket's top table by 2013.

In a mission statement to members, Richardson talks of improving facilities at the County Ground to meet international standards, building a first team capable of challenging for and winning honours and developing players for the future through the club's academy system.

And he sought to reassure hard-pressed supporters by insisting cricket remains a priority.

"Being successful at cricket remains our prime objective," said Richardson. "The whole purpose of redeveloping our ground is so we can end up with a better team and more people watching it.

"Our aim is to be winning trophies by 2013, to have an academy second to none and to make Gloucestershire an attractive proposition for potential signings.

"We want to build a team which is tough and hard to beat and then ensure that ethos permeates through all our other sides.

"Recruitment and the retention of our best players will be key and I believe the appointment of John Bracewell as director of cricket will help in this respect."

Projected improvements on the field will run alongside sweeping plans to redevelop the face of the County Ground.

An extensive planning application covering the building of a new media centre, conference, banqueting and hospitality facilities, plus the addition of further covered seating, will be lodged with Bristol City Council later this year.

And much of the redevelopment plan will be funded by generous loans from the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Richardson explained: "We want a ground fit to stage international cricket in the future and boasting the kind of facilities which attract top players.

"Consultation will be a key part of this process and we intend breaking the work down into bite-sized chunks."

Work to install a state-of-the-art drainage system has been on-going since the end of last season, while the club has unveiled plans to construct new dressing rooms, a project which begins on Monday.

Richardson added: "Our long-term goal is to have a ground we can all be proud of. That means improving it for spectators, players and corporate people."

The drainage improvement will cost in the region of £600,000, while the new dressing rooms are priced at around £250,000.