University provides 1,100 parking spaces for Brighton fans

More than a thousand Brighton and Hove Albion fans will be able to park on the Sussex University campus on match days.

Some 1,100 parking spaces have been set aside for Saturday fixtures and 700 for midweek games.

The figures were set out in a message to staff and students in the week after the club won planning permission to operate a third park and ride site.

But despite the fresh pressure on parking at the Falmer campus, there was also some relief for staff, students and visitors.

They were told that plans to charge for parking out of hours – evenings and weekends – had been dropped.

The university said: “This policy was proposed as a control measure but then suspended, has now been reviewed and will not need to come into force.”

The allocation of car parks was also spelt out as Albion prepare for the 2011-12 season in the Championship.

Concern

The announcement comes days after Brighton and Hove City Council members expressed concern that the car park at the Southern Water site near by would not be made available for fans.

The university said: “Local football supporters will park on the Sussex campus when Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club play their first games at the American Express Community Stadium later this month.

“As part of the planning approval originally given for the stadium, the club will use specific parking spaces on the University of Sussex campus – in addition to spaces elsewhere in Brighton.

“Parking will be provided for up to 30 home matches during the 2011-12 Championship season.

“The parking is being tightly managed and controlled by the football club in partnership with the university.

“The formal management contract specifies that University of Sussex car parks can be used only by season-ticket holders or corporate guests who will display a pass to prove that they have pre-booked parking.”

Albion’s reserves play Eastbourne Borough at the new Falmer stadium in the Sussex Senior Cup final on Saturday 16 July.

And the Seagulls will take on Tottenham Hotspur in a pre-season friendly on Saturday 30 July.

Access

Campus access for fans will only be via the new link road through Stanmer Park.

The five car parks designated for use by fans are the Sportcentre (P5), Sussex House (P4), Biology Road (P3), Science (P1) and Innovation Centre (P2) car parks. The Innovation Centre car park is for weekend matches only.

Stewards will keep fans to specific pedestrian routes to and from the stadium and will not be allowed to use any other part of campus. The stewards will also manage the arrival and departure of fans from campus.

Staff, students and visitors will be expected to use Knights Gate Road to come and go from the campus on match days.

Students and staff have been asked not to leave their cars in the designated car parks after noon on Saturday match days.

Cars will be block parked bumper to bumper rather than in bays on those days so student and staff cars left parked would be at risk of being blocked in.

For more information, including a list of all fixtures and car parks being used, go to www.sussex.ac.uk/transport.