Albion plan opposed

The Sussex Downs Conservation Board is calling for Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club to consider alternative sites outside of the Sussex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) for its proposed football stadium.

At its meeting last week, the Board endorsed its planning committee s decision to object to the applications for a stadium at Falmer.

The Board believes that the proposed developments at Falmer are contrary to national planning guidelines within AONBs, and urges Albion to look at sites outside the South Downs.

Martin Beaton, Sussex Downs Officer, said: 'Although we understand the desire for a new Brighton and Hove football stadium, the Conservation Board s primary role is to protect the South Downs from major developments that pose a threat to this nationally important landscape.

The Board s planning report recognises that the proposed stadium at Falmer would be of a scale unlike anything else in the locality, dominating the characteristic downland landscape.

It is considered that the proposed stadium would be intrusive and incongruous when viewed from popular viewpoints such as Ditchling Beacon, which is enjoyed by high numbers of local residents from Brighton and Hove.

The report notes that the proposed development, however well designed, would lead to increased car congestion in the area as well as potential noise and light pollution from the stadium itself, all of which would greatly reduce the enjoyment of the Downs for visitors and local residents.