RUMOURS that new plans for a stadium in South Gloucestershire were being drawn up have been quashed by the district council and the University of the West of England (UWE).

Bristol Rovers fan forums are awash with possible proposals to replace the club’s own 21,700-seater stadium, which has planning permission on UWE land in Stoke Gifford but is looking less and less likely to go ahead after Sainsbury’s pulled out of buying its existing ground, the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, leaving the club short of cash to fund the project.

One site, Vital Gas, posted a story at the weekend which said UWE had contacted South Gloucestershire Council with a view to building a smaller 15,000-seater stadium on its campus. It stated the stadium would be rented out to Bristol Rovers for use by the club.

The story sparked great interest among fans disappointed over Sainsbury’s decision not to purchase the Horfield site and was widely shared across social media sites.

However, the council confirmed to the Gazette that it had not been contacted by UWE.

A spokesman said: “While the existing stadium consent is still in place, we have not received any other applications or requests to alter the existing plans.”

A UWE spokeswoman said the existing planning application by Rovers is still in place and it was unaware of any proposal to build its own stadium.

In July the High Court ruled that the contract between Rovers and Sainsbury’s had ended lawfully but the football club has now been given leave to appeal that decision.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “We note that Bristol Rovers have been granted permission to appeal.

“We understand it is a sensitive issue but are confident that the Court of Appeal will uphold the High Court's judgment that the conditional contract lawfully ended in November 2014.

“We will continue to work with the local community through our existing Bristol stores which are extremely popular with customers.”

In a statement, a spokesman for Bristol Rovers said: “The club will now seek to have the hearing expedited in the hope it will be held in late November or early December this year.

“We would also like to take this opportunity to say we appreciate the support and encouragement we continue to receive from fans during this testing time.

“A large number of you have approached members of the board during pre-season games, both home and away, to offer your support, and the over-whelming message has been one of ‘Don’t give up the fight’.”