Seagulls stadium wins approval despite beauty spot controversy

Currie & Brown has worked out the costs of the controversial stadium planned for Brighton & Hove Albion FC on the South Downs. The Seagulls’ new home at Falmer will cost £2,267 per seat. At 22,374 seats, the bill adds up to £50.7m.

John Prescott approved the project last week despite fierce opposition from local residents on the grounds of its location at a natural beauty spot. The project has faced two government inquiries since it was first submitted to local planning authorities for consideration in June 2002.

Albion now hopes to open the venue, designed by KSS Design Group, for the beginning of the 2008/9 season.

Slicing the costs a different way, the stadium building at Village Way North and coach park will cost £28.91m and infrastructure works about £4.36m.

Builders’ overheads will come in at £3.33m and fees for surveyors, architects, solicitors and other consultants at £3.6m, according to local paper the Brighton Argus.

The land at Village Way is jointly owned by Brighton University and Brighton and Hove City Council. The council is donating its share but the university will charge Albion £5.3m for the plot.

Currie & Brown budgeted for inflation of £3.33m and advised the client to set aside £1.83m for unexpected costs.

Albion plans to raise £8.8m through grants from funding bodies such as the South East England Development Agency, the Football Foundation and New Deal for the Communities.

A further £5.5m is expected to come from commercial ventures, such as selling the right to brand the stadium and attracting private investment. The club is understood to be likely to make £12m through selling assets.

The remaining £24.1m will be borrowed through a mortgage arrangement.

The stadium will incorporate:

• a banqueting and conference facility
• a nursery school and crèche
• 720 square metres of teaching space for Brighton University
• 1,200 square metres of high-tech office space

As well as football matches the stadium is designed for other sports such as rugby and hockey, and music concerts, conferences and exhibitions. The proposed building of curved lines clad in glazing and aluminium panelling will be sunk into the land through the use of cut and fill techniques.