The Government has granted permission for a school's playing fields to be sold.

This paves the way for part of the land to be used for a giant football stadium car park.

Brighton and Hove Albion fans will be able to make use of 1,000 parking bays at Falmer High School, off Lewes Road, in Brighton, if plans for a new city academy and the Falmer community stadium go ahead.

Brighton and Hove City Council has proposed building the car park as one way of clawing back more than £4 million it would have to invest in the creation of the new academy.

It is also considering options for parts of the school site not needed by the academy, including offices or student accommodation for Brighton and Sussex universities.

A report reviewed by members of the schools' committee this week said car parking could be provided underground or on the roofs of buildings.

The Green Party, which is fundamentally opposed to city academies, has spoken of its dismay at the latest developments.

City councillor Ben Duncan, the Greens' education spokesman, said: "This looks worryingly like a land grab to me. It looks disturbingly like the administration places the needs of a football club above the needs of the city's children."

The £24.5 million scheme will be funded by the Government with a contribution from multimillionaire banker John Aisbitt, an Albion season ticket holder from Haywards Heath. It is expected to open in September 2010 and replace Falmer High but must go through several planning stages.

In exchange for the investment the council had to find a site for the academy and decided the 100,000 sqm of land at Falmer High would be the best position.

Ownership of the land will be transferred to the corporation, set up by the sponsor, which will run the academy.

But the new school will not occupy the entire site. There will be an area currently occupied by some school buildings which has been valued at £3.75 million.

It plans to use this money to offset the £2.5 million cost of relocating the community centres at Falmer High and £2.7 million needed to widen a tunnel under the railway.

The Department for Education and Skills has agreed to pay £900,000 towards this but the council would still have to find £550,000 on top of the land sale.

In the report, council officers expressed concerns that the academy might not be built within budget and the council would have to fund the shortfall.

The next stage is for an outline business case. The policy and resources committee decide whether to move to this stage at a meeting on Thursday, June 28.

Communities and local government secretary Ruth Kelly will decide before July 9 whether the stadium can go ahead.