FALMER is the latest site to be put forward as a home for the Albion, the Argus can reveal today.
Land next to the Brighton University campus, on the outskirts of the town, has been identified in plans drawn up by developers Alfred McAlpine. Two schemes proposed for farmland off Village Way feature a football stadium, a new home for Sussex County Cricket Club and a greyhound track. The first scheme involves a 20,000 seater football stadium, cricket ground, parking for more than 3,000 cars, improved roads and pedestrian access to Falmer railway station. The second is the same but with the addition of a greyhound stadium and extra parking. The council-owned site at Falmer completes a "big four" line-up of possible homes being looked at by the club. The other three are council-owned land at Waterhall Valley, north of the bypass; Shoreham Harbour, owned by the Shoreham Port Authority; and the Corals greyhound stadium and Alliance and Leicester site, close to the old Goldstone Ground in Hove. McAlpine director Martin Perry, who holds the balance of power on the Albion board, said the club hopes to agree one of the sites by the end of the year. He said: "It is early days but we are carrying out feasibility studies on each of them. "We need to talk to the owners and there are a lot of issues to discuss." Falmer is the latest in a series of sites identified by Albion as a potential permanent home. Previous schemes which came to nothing have involved Toad's Hole Valley and Patcham Court Farm. ABrighton and Hove Council spokesman said: "We are keen to resolve the current problem and bring the club back to Brighton. "But we have not been involved in detailed discussions on these sites and are waiting for more details." Albion chairman Dick Knight declined to comment.
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article