A community stadium for Brighton and Hove Albion and other sports users

is the most striking feature of Brighton and Hove's new draft Local Plan.

Environment Direct-or Alan McCarthy described it as a bold proposal for the site at Village Way North in Falmer.

But the plan makes it plain that there must be satisfactory transport and environmental assessments together with a robust business plan for the proposal, which will also include sports science and sports medicine centres linked to Brighton University.

It is one of the few downland developments mentioned in the plan, which generally seeks to protect the countryside surrounding Brighton and Hove.

Last year when the most contentious issues in the plan were being discussed, environmentalists feared there would be proposals both for a park-and-ride site at Waterhall and a business park in Toad's Hole Valley.

But neither site receives a mention in the plan and environment cabinet councillor John Ballance explained why.

Toad's Hole Valley was only ever going to be considered if insufficient brownfield sites were available and planners now think it will not be needed.

There are proposals for park-and-ride in the Local Plan but no specific site has been mentioned because the council is using a criteria rather than a site-based approach.

He said: "Park-and-ride is an important part of our strategy but it may well be we cannot find a suitable site for it." There has been opposition to Waterhall, especially now that the South Downs are to become a national park.

The crunch will come if Brighton and Hove's bid to the Government for £3.75 million to finance park-and-ride is successful.

Brighton and Hove Friends of the Earth have served notice that any move towards park-and-ride at Waterhall would not only damage the Downs but would also damage existing bus services.

Campaigner Chris Todd estimated the current site at Withdean already diverted up to £400,000 a year away from existing public transport and a new, large site would have an even bigger effect.

He said: "The true economic costs are being ignored as well as the environmental costs."

More than 20 brownfield sites are mentioned in the plan for industrial development ranging from Hove Technology Park to the biggest of all, Shoreham Harbour.

But few greenfield sites are mentioned. Apart from land next to the community stadium, only Falmer Business Park, Patcham Court Farm and Hangleton Bottom are mentioned on the list and those for high-tech or office use The plan aims to revitalise existing shopping centres rather than going for anything out of town.

It mentions the gasworks site next to George Street in Hove as one where new shopping could help revitalise the town centre.

If the Post Office in Ship Street, Brighton, moves, the building could be renovated with shops on the ground floor and housing above.

The plan aims to limit the growth of traffic to help it flow more freely but also to promote alternatives to the car including walking, cycling and public transport.

Among areas proposed for pedestrian priority are Ship Street in Brighton and Boundary Road in Hove.

Traffic calming is proposed for Poets' Corner, Vale Road in Portslade, Clarendon Road and Villas in Hove, Bevendean, West Hill, North Laine and Rottingdean.

The plan earmarks dozens of sites for housing which is one of the most difficult and intractable problems facing the authority.

One of the most contentious proposals in the plan is that permission for schemes with ten or more homes will not be allowed unless at least 40 per cent of them provided affordable housing.

The current limit is 25 and even that has been bitterly contested by some private developers.

But Coun Ballance said the need for affordable housing was immense.

Leisure and tourism are promoted strongly in the plan with proposals for a new centre at Black Rock which could include wet and dry sports, a multi-purpose space and a hotel.

The plan also says new development on land next to the West Pier will be acceptable, provided it forms part of a proposal for restoring the pier.

It gives strong support for protecting historic buildings, parks, gardens scheduled monuments and archeological sites.

The 204-page draft plan will go out for consultation from September 25 for six weeks provided councillors agree on Wednesday. There will be a special council meeting to discuss it in the autumn.

A public inquiry costing £150,000 is likely next year and the plan will probably be adopted in 2002.