The chief executive of Brighton and Hove Albion has urged city leaders and schools to get behind plans for a new college campus at Falmer after the scheme was denied crucial funding earlier this week.

Martin Perry insisted there was still time to rescue the major redevelopment of City College Brighton and Hove but only if the Government was made to understand how important it was to residents.

The college and Albion are working together to build a centre of learning excellence at the east end of the new stadium complex in Falmer to attract hard-to-reach young people into education.

The scheme is part of a £100 million redevelopment across four sites in Brighton and Hove.

It suffered its first setback in December when the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) announced it was deferring final decisions on dozens of projects given approval in principle, including Brighton's, because it had been overwhelmed by the number of applications for funding.

This week the LSC compounded the blow by granting detailed approval to a further eight schemes at colleges in Stoke on Trent, Coulsdon, West Kent, Liverpool, Solihull, Northampton and two in Bolton, plunging the remaining 79 deeper into uncertainty.

Mr Perry insisted the move did not necessarily mean the redevelopment was doomed.

He said: "The college needs to get the city on board, all the schools on board, to get a campaign going and impress on the Government how important this scheme is."

He said delays to the project would have no immediate effect on the development of the Falmer Stadium since the club was not relying on a lump sum of capital funding immediately.

Instead, the deal struck would require the college to pay the club revenue in two years time.

Mr Perry told The Argus: "There is no effect whatsoever in the short term. We obviously have to wait and see what the Government does over the next year to decide whether or not City College can take this space in the stadium.

"If they don't, what we do is seek another tenant but it would be very sad if that situation were to arise.

"It's very important everyone gets behind the project to support it."

The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the LSC have both refused to comment on the prospects for the development.

Phil Frier, principal of City College Brighton and Hove, has expressed disappointment at the LSC's decision to overlook the project but is confident it will be given priority status in due course.