Albion's three-storey car park plan approved

The three-storey car park next to the Amex Stadium will have 43 spaces

Brighton & Hove Albion's bid for a new three-storey car park to be built in the grounds of its stadium has been approved.

The football club secured planning permission on Wednesday to build the 43-space car park into an earth bank next to the Amex Stadium in Falmer, with spaces for employees.

The application was made as more than 400 parking spaces were lost on the Bennett's field site after a plan to build blocks to house 555 students were approved on appeal.

Labour councillor Tobias Sheard said: "I do think this is very nicely designed, and it's ingenious using the natural slope of the land to create the multi-storey car park."

The proposed structure, approved by 10 councillors on Brighton and Hove City Council's planning committee, will include a footbridge link to the stadium's west stand, as well as a stairway and lift to allow access to the footbridge.

Councillor Joy Robinson said: "It's a shame there's only 43 spaces. I would have liked to have seen more disabled parking there for football goers."

Conservative councillor Carol Theobald said that the plans were a sensible idea given the loss of spaces at Bennett's field, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"The South Downs National Park seem to be okay with it. They were worried about the lighting, but that appears to have been resolved," she said.

"It's an improvement, a good design and a good facility for the stadium."