Let me tell you about my walk last Sunday, from Hove Station to Toads Hole Valley and back via Hove Park.

I hadn't really appreciated this is the best site for a stadium. Hove has a mainline station, with trains direct from London, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, you name it.

Falmer is a small station which would need altering, with no major population centres, except Brighton, directly connected.

My walk out took 25 minutes - less than it would take to go into Brighton by train, wait for a connection, then get out to Falmer.

Of course, the fans wouldn't have to walk - it would take five minutes by shuttle bus. If Albion is planning park-and-ride from the racecourse to Falmer, they can easily manage the short distance from Hove Station to Toads Hole.

This site has been offered to Albion on very generous terms and I was amazed to find it is six times larger than Falmer. Even if only part of the site was used, there would be plenty of room for parking, including community use at any time of the week - and it could in turn be used as a park-and-ride centre.

Falmer is too small for extra buildings or even on-site parking. So it would need a flyover and a new road to allow football parking on campus - and in the process would spoil the entrance to Stanmer Park. It would also, of course, be hugely expensive.

I hope Albion could find the extra millions - if it came out of council tax, expect a big row.

And what happens if the University later decides it doesn't want fans on campus after all?

Toads Hole allows access from both sides - the bypass and King George VI Avenue. Bypass traffic from the west would simply use the Dyke Road flyover and back-track a few hundred yards to the stadium.

Given the above, I can't help but wonder why the Albion have not already abandoned their current controversial plan and told fans: "Forget Falmer, we're going somewhere better".

  • Ed Bishop, Channel View Road, Woodingdean