Falmer decision delayed

4:55pm Wednesday 4th July 2007

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Albion fans are facing more frustration after the decision on the proposed stadium at Falmer was put back by more than two weeks.

A Government spokesman yesterday confirmed new Communities Secretary Hazel Blears will make her decision on or before Wednesday, July 25.

A decision had been expected on the 22,000-seat arena by Monday, but was delayed after new Prime Minister Gordon Brown reshuffled his cabinet and replaced Ruth Kelly with Ms Blears.

Despite the delay, Albion bosses and pro-stadium campaigners remained upbeat.

Mr Perry said: "There is no cause for concern. The fact is the deadline was always going to be extended to give the new minister time to fully understand the matter.

"There is no way we could expect Hazel Blears to decide with only a few days to assimilate what is a very complex issue.

"We think the delay is actually a good thing. Once Ms Blears reads the full background to the stadium there is only one answer - yes."

Paul Samrah, chairman of the Falmer For All campaign, said: "A delay like this was almost inevitable after the Cabinet re-shuffle and the terrorist threats the Government has been dealing with.

"It is frustrating, but after waiting so many years, this delay is a minuscule amount of time. As long as it is the right decision and it is absolutely watertight, 16 days is nothing.

"On a positive note, this shows that Falmer is high on their list of priorities. It could have been delayed until after Parliament's summer recess, so this is certainly not the end of the world."

The blow was further softened by an announcement that the South East England Development Agency (Seeda) was to provide £5.3million towards the stadium.

The influential government quango chose to support the stadium along with other economically important projects in Brighton and Hove.

The Seeda statement said the stadium "will not only have significant benefits for the local community in terms of infrastructure, but will also help to open up other opportunities for investment which will themselves generate further jobs in an area of serious disadvantage".

The news comes days after a report recommending the site be excluded from the proposed South Downs national park was seen by The Argus.

If the inspector's recommendations are followed, the boundary of the park will end at Village Way. Such a move would see the proposed stadium site is stripped of its status as an area of outstanding natural beauty, and vastly reduce the grounds for appeal should Ms Blears give the scheme the green light.

A spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said: "Following the recent change of Prime Minister and subsequent changes of Cabinet positions, the new Secretary of State for Communities has decided to extend the target decision date to ensure she has sufficient time to fully consider the case.

"The decision will now be issued on or before July 25."

Be first with all the news on the Falmer decision at The Argus website.