The Government has granted permission for a school's playing fields to be sold paving the way for part of the land to be used for a giant football stadium car park.

Brighton and Hove Albion fans will be able to make use of 1,000 parking bays at Falmer High School, off Lewes Road, in Brighton, if plans for both a new city academy and the proposed Falmer community stadium go ahead.

Brighton and Hove City Council has proposed to build the car park as one way of clawing back more than £4 million it would have to invest in the creation of the new academy.

It is also considering options for parts of the school site which would not be needed by the academy, including offices or student accommodation for the neighbouring Brighton and Sussex universities.

A report reviewed by members of the city council's schools' committee this week said car parking could be provided underground or on the roofs of any buildings.

The Green Party, which is fundamentally opposed to city academies, has spoken of its dismay at the latest developments.

City councillor Ben Duncan, the Greens' education spokesman, said: "This looks worryingly like a land grab to me. It looks disturbingly like the administration places the needs of a football club above the needs of the city's children."

The £24.5 million scheme will be funded by the Government with a contribution from multimillionaire banker John Aisbitt, an Albion season ticket holder from Haywards Heath. It is expected to open in September 2010, and replace Falmer High, but must still go through several planning stages.

In exchange for the investment the council had to find a site for the academy and decided the more than 100,000 sq m of land at Falmer High would be the best position.

Ownership of the land will be transferred to the corporation, set up by the sponsor, which will run the academy.

But the new school will not occupy the entire site. The council will be left with an area currently occupied by some of the school buildings which has been valued at £3.75 million.

It plans to use this money to offset the £2.5 million cost of relocating the Swan and Bridge community centres housed at Falmer High and £2.7 million needed to widen a tunnel under the railway on the school access road to the Lewes Road.

The Department of Education and Skills (DfES) has agreed to pay £900,000 towards this work but the council would still have to find £550,000 on top of the land sale.

In the report council officers also expressed concerns that the academy might not be built within budget and the council would be left to pick up the shortfall.

Councillor Vanessa Brown, chairwoman of the schools' committee, said: "We are supportive of the academy, I believe it would be a good boost for that area of the city but we would like to ensure the financial case is sound before we fully commit to it."

The next stage for the academy is for an outline business case to be prepared. The council's policy and resources committee will decide whether to move ahead to this stage at a meeting on Thursday, June 28.

Communities and local government secretary Ruth Kelly has announced she will decide whether the Falmer Stadium can go ahead before Monday, July 9.