A £16 million hotel and a cancer unit are set to become the American Express Community Stadium’s newest features.

The new 150-bed hotel could be up and running by summer 2017 if the plan is approved by both Lewes District Council and Brighton and Hove City Council’s planning committees in January.

Albion bosses have said it would generate £6 million for the local economy and provide 82 jobs for locals as well as tapping into an untouched market in the city.

The Brighton Aloft – based between the East Stand and the railway line – would feature a restaurant, bar, gym and a specialist cancer unit in the basement open to NHS patients.

Seagulls executive director Martin Perry said: “It’s not linked to the hotel, it just happens to work rather well underneath it.

“It came about because we have a medical centre in the East Stand and we are looking to install our own MRI scanner so that we can get scans quickly if we have an injured player.

“They [NHS] talked to us about it because when you’re treating someone who has cancer and you’re planning how to treat it, particularly with radiotherapy, if you use an MRI scan it gives you a more accurate image of where a tumour is. The technology they use would be open to NHS patients.”

The cancer unit would deliver focused radiotherapy beams, and because of the radioactivity, is ideally suited to being underground.

Mr Perry believes the key to success would be filling the hotel during non-matchdays by attracting business to hold conferences, banquets and exhibitions at the stadium.

It would also look to tap into the market of parents visiting the city’s universities and passing businessmen and women looking for somewhere to stay on the A27.

The weekend proved The Amex is a multi-purpose venue having held two Rugby World Cup matches in less than 24 hours, and the hotel could open more doors to host other events.

He said: “The Amex is the home of Brighton and Hove Albion and that’s its priority.

“But the vision for The Amex is that it could always be used for other events and the weekend just demonstrated how good it is.

“People were saying to me how good a rugby venue it is – and it really is. But the focus will always be to provide a home for the football club.

“We’ve held concerts there, we want to hold more. If we’re invited to host a trophy rugby match we certainly will.”

The Argus:

FACTFILE - The Brighton Aloft

  • 150 rooms
  • Bar, restaurant, gym and specialist cancer radiotherapy unit
  • Would cost in the region of £16 million
  • Would create 82 new jobs and pump £6 million into the local economy
  • If approved at planning in January 2016, it would be open for business in summer 2017
  • Could pave the way for The Amex to take on more events

The Argus:

PROTON BEAM TREATMENT HELPED ASHYA

THE cancer unit in the basement of the new hotel could provide the same treatment desperately needed by brain tumour patient AshyaAysha King. 

Five-year-old AshyaAysha was taken out of care in Southampton by his parents and flown to Prague to receive proton beam treatment, which was not available on the NHS. 

Describing proton beam treatment, the NHS said: “Conventional radiotherapy uses high energy beams of radiation to destroy cancerous cells, but surrounding tissue can also be damaged. This can lead to side effects such as nausea, and can sometimes disrupt how some organs function.

“Proton beam therapy uses beams of protons (sub-atomic particles) to achieve the same cell-killing effect. 

“A ‘particle accelerator’ is used to speed up the protons. These accelerated protons are then beamed into cancerous cells, killing them.

“Unlike conventional radiotherapy, in proton beam therapy the beam of protons stops once it hits the cancerous cells. This means that proton beam therapy results in much less damage to surrounding tissue.”

It could not be confirmed whether this is specifically what would be offered at The Brighton Aloft, but Albion’s executive director Martin Perry said: “When you’re treating somebody who has got cancer and you’re planning how to treat it, particularly with radiotherapy, if you use an MRI scan it gives you a more accurate image of where the tumour is. 

“The stereotactic technology focuses the beam very, very accurately on the tumour itself which means that it does less damage to surrounding healthy tissue. 

“The problem with radiotherapy in the past is that it’s been a bit bull in a china shop-ish and the trouble is you damage healthy tissue. 

“So this technology, which is the latest technology, focuses the beam and it is state of the art.”