Supporters of plans for a new football stadium at Falmer have flocked to our website to condemn the students planning to block the scheme.

The Argus revealed yesterday that students at the University of Sussex are set to fight Brighton and Hove Albion's plans for a new stadium after a vote consisting of just 40 people.

The poll at the Sussex Students' Union annual general meeting was described as "indicative, as quoracy was not achieved", with 40 students representing the views of almost 13,000.

Union president Dan Glass said: "We are opposing the stadium firstly on environmental grounds, as Sussex is the only university in the country set in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

"We also have concerns about the increase in traffic and disruption to student life on campus. We are not against the club having a stadium but it needs to be in the right place."

The Argus website has since been deluged by angry supporters of the stadium plans.

Jeff Woad, of London, said: "Opposing the stadium on environmental grounds, as Sussex is the only university in the country set in an area of outstanding natural beauty' is hypocritical. Adhering to the same principle would ensure refusal to attend such a university in the first place.

"As for the disruption to student life, match days will only occur about once a fortnight for nine months of the year and the disruption lasts for about two and half hours.

"That is a lot less than the disruption I have endured at the hands and mouths of drunken students in Brighton as a resident."

Another contributer, Richard from Hastings, said: "Perhaps if they had polled every student it would have held more weight but this seems to me exactly the sort of anti-democratic process most students leap to attack."

Rob Meaden, who has written to Mr Glass, said: "Having stated that Falmer is in an area of outstanding natural beauty, have the students looked at the A27 dual-carriageway which cuts through the heart of the site, or taken into consideration the ever-expanding university buildings which are eating into the surrounding area?"

Paul Baron, from Brighton, said: " I suspect that the majority of these students are living in our city on a temporary basis and arrogantly assuming that future students would also be against the development.

"I think they would be extremely lucky to have direct access to state of the art, modern sporting facilities a stone throw away. The pros, surely, heavily outweigh the cons.

"The site has been earmarked for development. Would they prefer an alternative development that is used through out the year like a retail park, or a stadium that will serve the community and bring rich benefits to a badly deprived area of Brighton."

Another poster, Steve from Sussex, said: "Surely students are salivating at the prospect of more traffic cones to nick on match days?"

The union motion to oppose the stadium is part of a student movement to create an "Eco-Uni" - designed to make the university more proactive on green issues. It will be discussed at a student council meeting at the beginning of May.

The Government is reconsidering the club's application to build the 22,000 seat stadium, and will make a decision on or before July 9.

To read the original article, click here.

Post your comments on the student camapign against Falmer below.