* by Simon Barnes, resident of Falmer village and opponent of the Albion plan

I HAVE lived in Falmer for 20 years and worked here for slightly longer.

It is a beautiful spot. The village dates back 1,000 years and many of the buildings are listed. The views from the pond past the church to the Downs are spectacular.

This is why the entire village will be within the boundaries of the new South Downs national park.

Indeed, the only areas outside the park will be the two universities and a small eight-acre field on which Brighton and Hove Albion hope to build a 22,000-seat stadium.

This is the wrong place and there are alternatives.

It's the wrong place firstly because it is a greenfield site in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

People come to Falmer to walk on the Downs, to ride, to cycle, to watch birds or just sit by the pond with a cup of tea.

It is also wrong because of the wildlife in the area. I regularly see badgers, foxes, hares, woodpeckers and nuthatches. In the summer we see bats.

Bats are a highly-protected species and, before planning can be granted, a bat survey is needed. Brighton and Hove Albion had a bat survey done in April.

Let me quote from the Bat Conservation Trust: "In late spring females gather at a maternity roost to give birth.

"Disturbance to roosting colonies at this time will also have significant adverse effects on the bat population for that area, especially if it causes the mothers to abandon the roost; the babies will die."

April, it seems, is a bad time for a survey.

Many thousands of people who have never been to Falmer have signed the petition for a stadium. They have been told it is of national importance.

This is not true. There are things, not of national interest but of international interest, happening in Falmer.

I'm speaking here of the world-class research done seven days a week in the labs at the University of Sussex. The noise generated by a stadium is hardly compatible with this.

I am not anti-football. My vision is for a stadium by the sea at the Shoreham Harbour complex. Yes, it would take a little longer than the quick destruction of downland but the Seagulls are doing quite well at Withdean.

It's given them two championships so the wait might not be such a bad thing. To misquote Eric Cantona: "The Seagulls should be by the sea".