The name has been announced of the man who will have the greatest say on whether or not Brighton and Hove Albion get a new stadium.

John Collyer, a senior inspector with the Planning Inspectorate, is to chair the Falmer section of the Brighton and Hove Local Plan Inquiry.

He has been appointed joint inspector to Charles Hoile, who is leading the inquiry that will shape development of Brighton and Hove.

Hearings relating to plans for a 22,000-seater stadium on land near Village Way North will start on February 18 and are expected to continue for at least six weeks.

They are supported by fans of the club but opposed by environmentalists and the majority of villagers in Falmer .

The final report, with Mr Collyer's recommendations, is expected to be published in late summer.

The recommendations will have to be ratified by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott or one of his ministers but it is rare for the recommendations of planning inspectors to be overruled.

The Planning Inspectorate is based in Bristol and rarely gives personal details of its inspectors, especially when it is dealing with sensitive matters such as the Falmer stadium plans.

The Albion will be employing a barrister to put forward its case for a stadium and will have the backing of Brighton and Hove City Council's planning legal team.

The council gave the go-ahead for the stadium in June but it was called in by the Government for a public inquiry two months later.