Brighton and Hove Albion is burying the hatchet in its feud with Lewes district councillors over a new football stadium.

The club has announced plans to splash out on an adult education centre for the town - even though the district council is planning a High Court challenge to John Prescott's decision to grant planning permission for a new ground at Falmer.

Albion chief executive Martin Perry said: "We don't have an argument with the residents and people of Lewes who have demonstrated they are very much behind us."

The club revealed yesterday it is planning to open the adult education centre at Lewes Football Club to teach people basic skills in literacy and numeracy and offer careers advice.

The Albion already runs a large adult education centre at Withdean stadium in Brighton as well as satellite study support centres at football clubs in Bognor, Worthing, Eastbourne, Crawley and Hastings. Next month it will open three new centres in Lewes, Horsham and Burgess Hill as part of a £60,000 extension to its community education scheme.

The centre in Lewes could help dozens of adults.

But the district council last night felt unable to acknowledge the gesture.

A spokesman said: "We would not normally comment on initiatives we have no direct involvement with."

The council called for a judicial review last November of John Prescott's decision to allow The Albion to build a new stadium on a greenfield site at Falmer.

The club is waiting to hear from Government solicitors heading the defence case on behalf of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the club in the next few days.

Then a date will be set for an initial High Court hearing when skeleton cases will be heard.

The council, backed by Lewes MP Norman Baker, believes the stadium would kill off precious flora and fauna and would set a dangerous precedent allowing further development on green fields.

Albion officials believe the club would be killed off if it was barred from building at Falmer.

A poll by The Argus in December surveyed a random sample of 242 members of the public in the Lewes district and found 74 per cent believed the council was wrong to ask for a judicial review.

Mr Perry said: "Lewes District Council and Norman Baker don't represent the views of the electorate and there's no reason why we shouldn't give them the benefits of a study support centre. There's a demand for this kind of facility in Lewes and perhaps this will demonstrate to councillors the benefits of the stadium.

"Perhaps they will be able to see at first hand the work the club does in the community, just how valuable it is and how wrong they are to oppose it."

The new centre, based within the hospitality section of the Dripping Pan ground in Mountfield Road, will provide users with one-to-one support from a teacher from Sussex Downs College and about six laptops on which to practise their literacy, numeracy and computer skills.

Principal of education Alan Sanders said: "This will allow people who might not want to go back to the formality of school or college to learn basic skills to help with everyday life and career progression."