BRIGHTON and Hove Albion’s £32 million training centre is in line for a top national award.

The American Express Elite Football Performance Centre in Mash Barn Lane, Lancing, is a finalist in the Royal Town Planning Institute’s (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence 2017.

The planning team was led by DMH Stallard, a law firm which has offices in Brighton and Gatwick.

The RTPI awards are the most established and respected in the UK planning industry.

Running for 40 years, they celebrate exceptional examples of planning and the contribution planners make to society.

Peter Rainier, director of planning at DMH Stallard, said: “This is a premier event for the planning sector – by far and away the standout awards ceremony on the calendar.

“It’s a huge honour to be part of the team that has been shortlisted.

“The centre is everything a professional footballer needs.

“Indoor and outdoor training pitches and state-of-the-art medical and gymnasium facilities provide the perfect environment for developing the players of today and emerging stars of tomorrow.”

The performance centre was previously recognised at the RTPI’s South East awards, winning for excellence in planning for the community and well-being.

The club says that in addition to the outstanding facilities, the development is making a major contribution in the community by giving local people, young and old, access to the internationally recognised venue.

Disability sports clubs and groups use the community pitch on a weekly basis, with other bespoke activities regularly scheduled to support people with specific disabilities.

The club estimates it is contributing £2 million each year to the economy in Worthing and Adur through the use of local shops, services and contractors.

Most significantly, 274 people are employed as a direct result of the new training complex.

DMH Stallard has worked with the Albion ever since the windswept days of the Withdean Stadium, submitting more than 50 planning applications during the journey to the 30,000-seater Amex and the new training headquarters.

DMH Stallard’s planning consultancy is one of the largest teams of chartered planners within a top 100 law firm anywhere in England.