Bristol City FC chairman Steve Lansdown today spelled out the bottom line on plans to build a new home for the club: no foodstore, no stadium.

The club has applied for planning permission to build a new £65 million ground at Ashton Vale, but Mr Lansdown made clear that it will not happen unless permission is given for a supermarket to be built at the club's existing site at Ashton Gate.

Mr Lansdown said: "The message is very clear – no foodstore, no stadium. The shortfall is too big to fill.

"I would be happy to be proved wrong – if anybody throws a cheque at me, I'd take it."

He said the club had gone to great lengths to explore all possibilities for the redevelopment of the ground and they had not been blinkered over a foodstore and nothing else.

But he said the economic climate meant that nothing else gave them the funding they needed to build a new stadium.

He added that a few years ago, when they first looked at the idea of a move, building new homes on the site would have generated the revenue the club needs, but the recession led to a collapse in property values and prevented the stadium plans from being financially viable.

"Bristol is on the verge of an opportunity of a lifetime to get a regional centre in Bristol which would serve the West Country," added Mr Lansdown. "It would provide a venue for a host of different types of events, not just football.

"A new stadium would bring economic growth and prosperity to the city as well as a huge amount of kudos which is highlighted by the World Cup bid.

"It would be a crying shame if we didn't get this stadium and I am urging everyone who supports the idea to make their voices heard."

He said the club had aspirations to win promotion to the Premiership but needed a top-class venue for matches against the best sides in the country.

He told fans: "If you are behind us, then don't sit back and let others do the job for you. Please show your undiluted support – we need everyone's help."

Mr Lansdown is urging supporters of the new stadium to register their backing on the club and city council websites.

"The redevelopment of Ashton Gate is a cornerstone to the funding of the development of the new stadium," he added. "If we don't get market value out of Ashton Gate, we will not be able to go for the new stadium."

The planning application for the stadium will be discussed at a council meeting on Wednesday, November 4.

The following night, the same committee – Development Control (South and East) – will discuss the club's application for a Tesco store at Ashton Gate. Both meetings start at 6pm at the Council House, College Green.

Mr Lansdown said his message to the nine city councillors who will be making a decision was: "Take a look at South Bristol and take a look at the need to regenerate the area.

"The stadium project would provide the catalyst for that regeneration and bring economic benefit to the city as a whole and the region.

"Ask yourselves if you are prepared to forego all this, because if you turn down these applications, then that is what you would be doing."

Councillors will not be making the final decision – they can only be "minded to approve".

The size of the project means the final say lies with GOSW – the Government Office for the South West.

The deadline for the council to hand in its bid to the FA to host World Cup games is Friday, November 6 – the day after the Tesco meeting.

It is understood that councillors' support in the form of "minded to approve" would be enough for the FA to consider Bristol as a host city.