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[Ashley Alty]

From a Brighton fan;

Can I beg listees' indulgence and draw attention to the latest round in the never-ending saga that is the fight for the new Brighton & Hove Albion community stadium at Falmer?

Five-and-a-half years since the planning application was submitted in October 2001 the matter is still unresolved.

John Prescott did give permission in October 2005, but that was quashed when the neighbouring Lewes District Council challenged the decision. The Government accepted that it had made an error on a boundary issue when making its decision, and agreed to consider the matter afresh.

The Secretary of State is now Ruth Kelly. She has promised to make a decision on or before 9th July. At the moment the various parties - including Brighton & Hove Albion, Brighton & Hove City Council (both in favour) and Lewes District Council (against) - are commenting on the various representations that each other have made on the matter to Ms Kelly.

We are, therefore, coming to the crunch - again!

While we're certain that our case for the stadium at Falmer stacks up, we want to let Ruth Kelly know that the demand for this stadium is nationwide. At the moment there is an Early Day Motion (EDM 882) in the House of Commons in favour of the stadium, and the main message of this email to to ask supporters nationally to lobby their MP to sign EDM 882. Every signature added to the 62 (as of 26th March) that have already signed adds great weight to the argument in favour of the stadium.

All details on EDM 882 can be found at our website, www.clubsincrisis.com. Please do have a look and pass the address on.

Why should other fans support this? Because, as anyone who has been to Withdean Stadium well knows, the facilities for away supporters are atrocious. Just thank your lucky stars that you only visit once a year and not 25 times like us Brighton fans! But it's also right that Brighton & Hove, as a city, should be allowed a modern stadium at the only possible site (as proven at a 62-day public inquiry) and should not be denied just because it is bound by the sea on one side and the South Downs on the other.

And do please mention to your MP that this is no longer just a local issue. It is being decided by the national government as a national issue, so you and they are quite entitled to express a view! (MPs will often say that, because it's not in their constituency, it's nothing to do with them.)

Thank you for any help you can give us. We hope that the 12-year nightmare we have endured will come to an end in the not-too-distant future!

Tim Carder
Chairman, Brighton & Hove Albion Supporters' Club

[AltyTunnelSteward]

This Brighton thing has gone on far too long now.

Yet another example of Politicians interfering in the game when they ought to leave well alone.

I'm wholly in support of Brighton & Hove Albion on this

[anthony page]

I'm sorry, but I have little sympathy for Brighton over this.

 Macclesfield were cheated out of their place in the FL in 1995 because they weren't allowed to share with Chester (even though it wasn't actually needed) because the FL said they couldn't groundshare more than 30 miles away.  I remember Brighton fans were asked, as were many, to sign a petition supporting Macclesfield and the response from Brighton, as from most league clubs, was basically "Who gives a ****?"  Of course, no long after brighton were given permission to groundshare at Gillingham!!

And let's not forget how Brighton turfed Withdean2000 out of their own ground and how Withdean went tits up.  Not much support there for a fellow club from Brighton FC or their fans.

Sorry Brighton fans - but the stench oh hypocrisy is overwhelming.