The future of Brighton and Hove Albion is now in the hands of Government planning inspector David Brier.

The football club had the last word yesterday as the long-running public inquiry into the Falmer stadium plan finally came to an end at the Brighton Centre.

Albion barrister Jonathan Clay took almost four hours to read an 85-page closing speech explaining in minute detail why Falmer is the only viable site for the 22,000-seat community arena in Brighton and Hove.

He said the "exhaustive and forensic" inquiry had served only to strengthen the case for Falmer and rule out each of the 11 suggested alternatives as realistic options.

Barrister Mary Macpherson delivered a closing speech on behalf of Brighton and Hove City Council which came to the same conclusions.

The Falmer inquiry began in December 2003 and has run for 62 days under three separate inspectors.

The first inspector, John Collyer, rubbished the Falmer plan but Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott refused to reject the application.

Instead he reopened the inquiry in February to examine alternative sites in the city.

Albion chief executive Martin Perry said at the end of yesterday's hearing: "We have presented our case as well as we can and I think the evidence we have put forward is absolutely compelling.

"We came to the conclusion in 1999 that Falmer is the only available, viable and sustainable site in Brighton and Hove. Here we are six years later and our case has only got stronger."

Mr Perry revealed the club is expecting a verdict towards the end of the year and believes it will be delivered along with the result of the South Downs National Park public inquiry.

Falmer and Toad's Hole Valley are currently designated areas of outstanding beauty but both could lose that protected status if the recommendations of the national park inquiry are approved.

Mr Perry added: "Our application and the national park plan are inextricably linked so we suspect and think it is right that both verdicts come at the same time."

Mr Clay urged Mr Brier to disregard the comments of his predecessor. He said: "The club does not consider Inspector Collyer's conclusions to be well founded.

"In his decision to reopen the inquiry it is also clear the Secretary of State cannot have accepted Inspector Collyer's conclusions."

Mr Clay said of the 11 other sites considered, only Sheepcote Valley provided a potentially realistic alternative.

But he added it was inferior to Falmer because it was not easily accessible by car or public transport.

He concluded: "The effect of subjecting the alternative sites to the most extensive alternative sites exercise in planning history has served only to confirm what we told Inspector Collyer - there is only one site for a community stadium for Brighton and Hove which is sustainable, viable and available, and that site is at Falmer."