Sir Robert McAlpine among three targeting £40m Brighton FC stadium

Only three bidders are understood to be shooting for a new £40m football stadium for Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club.

The line-up is Buckingham, Barr and Sir Robert McAlpine for the facility to be built at Falmer, on the outskirts of Brighton.

An insider said: "There's nothing intrinsically difficult or risky about this job, so only three bidders is a bit of a surprise - maybe the likes of Laing O'Rourke or Bovis Lend Lease were busy doing other things.

"Anyway, all three on the Brighton list are specialists in stadium building, so a tight contest is on the cards."

Work on site is due to kick off early next year and run for 18 months to two years.