IT could be one of the most amazing football stadiums in the country. A stunning 36,000 all-seater ground built against the backdrop of one of Britain's most historic naval settings.

Stretching out into the harbour on reclaimed land, the massive two-tier stadium would be surrounded by 1,500 new luxury flats and a continental-style open piazza.

A public walkway or "urban beach" circling the ground would be another huge attraction, featuring restaurants, cafes and sports shops.

The striking bowl-shaped ground looks like a futuristic pleasure dome apparently dropped from space, which would transform Portsmouth and create thousands of jobs.

Overlooked by the landmark Spinnaker Tower, this is the vision for the new Fratton Park, the home of Portsmouth Football Club.

And it is all going to cost £600m - if it gets the go ahead.

Land reclamation could begin as early as next summer and the ground open by 2011.

Though it all looks good on paper, there are still many unanswered questions, not least the crucial transport issue to the stadium.

There will be no parking spaces for fans in an area that is already heavily congested with traffic struggling to get to the dockside Gunwharf Quays shopping complex.

Instead supporters would have to take the train, bus or use a park-and-ride scheme - surely a recipe for traffic chaos?

There is also the question of the cost and whether the ambitious scheme will actually ever see the light of day.

Meanwhile, for Saints fans, memories may inevitably return to the proposed Stoneham Saints ground which would have created a super-stadium and leisure complex.

Saints' plan for a £55m home on a greenfield site off Stoneham Lane would have included a multiplex cinema, athletics track and two retail outlets.

The Portsmouth proposal will enable 570 homes to be built on the bulldozed Fratton Park site along with the 1,500 waterfront flats on the new site, as well as creating thousands of jobs during construction and hundreds of permanent jobs upon completion.

Hindsight of course is a wonderful thing.

But did Southampton miss the opportunity to create a similar "Wow factor" statement with knock-on benefits for housing and retail?

Apparently not, according to Perry McMillan, a member of Southampton Independent Supporters' Association, who campaigned vigorously for a new ground, first at Stoneham and then at St Mary's.

"The majority of Saints fans are quite happy with what we have at St Mary's which is in the heart of the city. Location wise it had a lot more to offer and pop concerts have been held there.

" I think people in Pompey will be envious they haven't got room in the city itself. It could be a bit of an end of the pier show.

"Whatever Pompey do is going to be catching up on what we have achieved football ground-wise.

"Pompey could find themselves spending a lot of money on a stadium, getting relegated and lumbering themselves with a very expensive stadium. If I was a Pompey fan I would have more trepidation than excitement about this."

He added: "I think they will struggle to get the permission they require, I think it is all one big white elephant. I can't see it happening, I think there will be a lot of heartache for Pompey fans at the end of the day.

"I think they should continue with the old plan to improve the facilities around Fratton Park."

Fellow Saints fan Nick Illingsworth, editor of the Ugly Inside fanzine, believes the proposals could have more to do with hard cash than anything else.

"This is obviously why Gaydamak (the Russian owner of Portsmouth FC) came to Portsmouth," he said.

"In simple terms this is a business development which they are shoe-horning the stadium into.

"They are using the ground as an excuse to build homes. I think it is what football is becoming about now - money and not the game.

"Is the waterfront the best place for a stadium? What you want to be able to do is get to and from the ground as easily as possible. Sticking it at the most inaccessible point seems madness.

"The average Pompey fan will want a football stadium they can get in and out of fairly easily, not a stadium with no parking.

"It is space-age but nothing special, 36,000 seats is the size of a run-of-the-mill football club.

"If you are a football fan, you go to football to watch football and if you want to go shopping, you will go to a shopping centre.

"They are looking at four years before they can play in the stadium, the average Pompey fans want it tomorrow.

"Like the average Southampton fan or Reading fan, they want it built at the cheapest cost so the money can be used on the team. What good is a space-age stadium if Pompey are relegated next season?"

Southampton City Council refused to comment in the run-up to the local elections.