By Martin Perry, Stadium Project Manager

You may have read in Saturday's programme, that I have called upon the government to get behind City College's exciting plans for expansion, which include the college taking space at our new stadium.

After news last week that the Learning & Skills Council is reviewing the funding needed for the college's redevelopment plans. I can reassure fans that the club's stadium plans remain on course.

City College's plans are ambitious and exciting. They want to redevelop their site in the city centre and expand their campus to the new stadium at Falmer - including taking space under the east stand, and in the proposed bund building. The college put forward a funding application to the Learning & Skills Council, and that is still ongoing.

Whatever the outcome, there is no impact on our plans in the short term and all the funding is in place for the foreseeable future. There was no capital injection from City College in our funding plans, but we have agreed in principle that City College would rent space at the new stadium from 2011, if they can secure the funding.

We have to wait and see what the Government does over the next year and then decide whether or not City College will be in a position to take the space in the stadium. If they don't, while it would be bitterly disappointing for both City College and ourselves, it is not crucial to the project.

That is the worst-case scenario, and what that would mean is that the club would have to seek another tenant - but we really don't expect it to come to that.

We have been working with the City College for sometime now. Working in partnership with them, Albion in the Community is already delivering a huge range of courses, but if the new plans go ahead we can make a massive difference to the lives of people in Brighton & Hove.

We are talking to City College about how we can help to take this forward and we are confident that the college can attract the necessary funding; meanwhile work onsite continues and we remain on course to start work on the stadium itself, including the start of the bulk excavation, next month.

Blog Eleven: LSC Update 1
Blog Ten: All on Course
Blog Nine: Has Work Started?
Blog Eight: Stadium Funding
Blog Seven: New Application
Blog Six: Good News!
Blog Five: Still on Target
Blog Four: Road to Falmer!
Blog Three: Richard Hebberd
Blog Two: City College & Albion
Blog One: Planning, funding & legal update