25 July 2007 - Green Party MEP Caroline Lucas has welcomed the Government’s ruling on Falmer Stadium, which she said was ‘an end to an uncertainty which has hung over fans for ‘too long’.

Speaking after the Government granted permission for the community stadium to be built on land bordering the proposed South Downs national Park at Falmer, Dr Lucas said:

"This decision is long-overdue and the uncertainty has hung over fans and locals too long.

"Today’s decision is good news for Albion supporters and I am delighted the club is at last to get a much-needed local stadium. The challenge now is to make sure its construction and operation meet exceptional sustainability standards, and that the stadium fulfils its promise to be one of the ‘greenest’ in the country.

"There is clearly still a lot of work to do and a lot of tough decisions to make: the council must ensure adequate public transport provision is available and that the stadium has minimal impact on the surrounding countryside.

"The proposals to turn Falmer High School into a city academy already include plans for a car park serving the stadium and I am deeply concerned that this is essentially a land-grab which will encourage fans to travel to matches by car. The council must nip this is the bud immediately.

"The Green Party has never made a secret of our belief that a much more suitable site should have been chosen earlier in the process - and that a number of crucial questions remain: not just around transport and development impact but on the football club’s relationships with its neighbours - we now hope these questions are answered satisfactorily and quickly."

 

ENDS