Why is it hard to find a suitable place for a new ground?

[Marc]

We all know that the club has stated that Falmer is the only viable site, they have expressed extensively why the other sites are not viable, but heres a couple of major factors which I've found that people just dont realise,

Why we dont have that many viable places for a new ground:

1) The English Channel, unlike being inland we dont have a full circumference around Brighton & Hove, the sea pretty much knocks 50% off possible area to build on!

2) South Downs, regarded as a National park which is right on the Brighton & Hove border...again meaning we simply cannot build anywhere!

What does this leave us? Well pretty much a thin strip set between natural beauty and a vast expanse of water!
We may have a big catchment area of fans with only Palace & Pompey being our closest rivals, but we dont have a big area to build.

There, thats my little info piece for any non-albion related fans or people who generally did'nt know why we only have Falmer as a possibility.

 

[Comedy Steve]

What does this leave us? [/B]

Bulldozing Portslade?


Seriously though - good post, and one that can be equally applied to the question, "why is property in Brighton so hard to find and so bloody expensive?"

 

[SK1NT]

Yes it is very difficult finding land for us to build a new stadium. But think about London teams, they probably have major problems.

I dont agree with destroying our countryside, but falmer is a must!once we have falmer, green is the way forward

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

i knew all of this from geography, and yes it is true, town planners for brighton & hove have an awful job, you have other towns to the east and west, and the said obstacles to the north and south.
there are other sites that would be suitable for a development such as a football stadium, but most of these have crap transport(ie. shoreham harbour, toads hall valley etc.) these sites are big enough to hold a football stadium, but they club would have to pay loads to make it easily accessible, whereas falmer is close to a train station

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Loads of the new stadiums are in northern towns- which historically have plenty of crappy, derelict former industrial sites which the councils can't wait to clear up and regenerate.

Derby, Sunderland, Stoke (ok, north of here if not THE north), Bolton, Huddersfield, Hull, Darlington, Scunthorpe and Middlesbrough are all good examples of towns and cities which were centred around industry- mining, t'mills, steel production, shipbuilding etc- which has now disappeared. The Stadium of Shite is built on an old colliery site at Wearmouth if memory serves me correctly.

We don't have that legacy of old industrial sites in Brighton, at least not on the scale required to build a football stadium. Plus you have the sea hemming the city on one side, and the South Downs on the other.

 

[Yorkie]

Exactly Edna. Building new stadia enhances derelict brownfield sites.

Down south, trees and hills are far more important than people and houses.