Cash earmarked for the regeneration of deprived east Brighton could be spent on projects at Brighton and Hove Albion's proposed new stadium.

The club will approach EB4U about the possibility of making an investment if the stadium at Falmer wins planning permission from the Environment Secretary, a decision expected early in the New Year.

Up to 25 Moulsecoomb residents were at The Bridge centre at Falmer School, Brighton, last night to question Albion chief executive Martin Perry about the proposals for nearby Falmer.

The Seagulls' boss outlined his vision for a stadium which would benefit the whole community, creating more than 600 full-time jobs for local people.

Emphasising the community work already being undertaken by the club, with 40 coaches working in 56 schools, he said: "In our experience the fear of the stadium is far greater than the reality.

"We understand there are going to be genuine concerns about 20,000 people coming into the area but that is why the liaison groups are set up, to hear those concerns and enable us to look at them.

"The undertaking we will give you is we are there to be talked to and will work with you to find a solution."

Resident Carmel Stevenson quizzed Mr Perry on what the club would do to make the Moulsecoomb area more attractive, saying: "You're just going to bus people in and they will buy their Cokes inside the stadium.

"What benefit is it going to be to our community and to the whole of Moulsecoomb? Is it going to make us millionaires, are our house prices going to go through the roof?"

She asked if the club would be looking for funding from EB4U.

Mr Perry said: "The fact is we will create opportunities for education, jobs and there are things like community safety too.

"That accords with a number of the key targets that the New Deal originally set when it was established.

"Therefore we will certainly be talking to the New Deal to see if this would be a project in which they would be willing to invest. That is then a decision for the New Deal as to whether they want to take part and invest in it."

Project director for EB4U Graham Maunders, who was at the meeting, said a decision on whether to invest would centre on what the stadium could potentially bring to the area. He stressed any decision would go through the usual scrutiny.

Other residents expressed concerns about traffic using Lucraft Road on match days and preventing people from getting access to The Bridge.

When pushed on plans to hold pop concerts at the new stadium, Mr Perry said planning rules would limit it to one pop concert plus one music concert a year.

One resident asked him: "We were under the impression it was going to be open 24/7. What other things are you planning to put on?"

Mr Perry said: "Potentially it could open on a seven day a week basis but a lot will be inside the stadium and the impact externally is virtually nothing."

He said the stadium would bring improvements to Falmer station and said experience at other clubs showed high policing levels on match days and reduced crime in the surrounding area.

And he said experience at Withdean suggested the surrounding streets were much cleaner after match days, claiming: "We do a better job of it than Brighton and Hove City Council."

Addressing fears that a new car park would cost Falmer School much of its playing field, he said use of special materials meant it could remained a playing field while being capable of taking cars on match days.

A resident of Lucraft Road made a request for local people to be compensated with free season tickets to the football.

Mr Perry said the club had no future without the new stadium, stressing: "We cannot survive. We cannot make Withdean pay. We would see an end to the club."