Albion hope to start work next month on increasing the capacity at Withdean.

It will be a two-stage process and some of the extra seats for home fans will not be ready until the start of next season.

The Seagulls have been dealing with one last obstacle to their planning application.

Chief executive Martin Perry revealed: "We are looking like getting it to the planning committee in early November.

"We have been resolving a number of queries relating to the safety advisory group. They are resolved and we are now ready. As soon as it goes through we will start construction."

The capacity at Withdean will increase by 2,000 to just under 9,000, but not straight away.

Perry explained: "A new block of 950 seats is going in at the west end, which will become the away end.

"We are then going to increase the size of the existing away block in the north-east corner and add another block in the middle immediately behind the south goal, both of which will be for Albion fans.

"We will probably do that by the start of next season, because of the complexity of doing it while the season is running. We have to build new changing rooms at the western end and move the hospitality suite to where the changing rooms are now."

Cynics might argue the delay has more to do with the fact that rows of seats would be left empty, with the team struggling at the wrong end of the table.

Perry refutes that interpretation, insisting: "Every match so far has been a sell-out. The demand for tickets is still immense."

It is still puzzling to many supporters that the extra seats were not installed in time for the return to Division One.

There were, however, park and ride problems to overcome, plus political spin to consider.

Albion were wary before winning planning consent locally for the new stadium at Falmer that an increase in capacity might be misinterpreted as Withdean offering an alternative permanent home.

The team's poor start to the season means they are likely to be counting the cost.

Near 9,000 sell-outs, worth around another £30,000 per game, would have been guaranteed early on. That is unlikely to be the case now unless results improve.