A320 DEVELOPED A FUEL LEAK ENROUTE. FLT DIVERTED TO AN ARPT WHERE THEY FELT MAINT COULD BE PERFORMED.

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WE DEPARTED LATE DUE TO A MAINT ISSUE ON THE GND AND GOT TO TOP OF CLB AND CHKED OUR FUEL AND ALTIMETERS AND NOTICED WE WERE ABOUT 1000 LBS DOWN ON OUR FUEL BURN; BUT ATTRIBUTED THAT TO OUR MAINT ISSUE ON THE GND. OUR NEXT FUEL SCORE WAS ABOUT 40 MINS LATER AND NOTICED WE WERE ABOUT 2000 LBS DOWN AND KNEW SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT. WE DOUBLECHKED OUR MATH AND THAT WAS ACCURATE AND THEN WENT TO OUR FUEL PAGE DISPLAY AND NOTICED THE R TANK WAS LOWER THAN THE L BY OVER 2000 LBS. WE WATCHED THIS PAGE FOR A FEW MINS TO SEE HOW FAST IT WAS DEPLETING. WE WENT TO OUR OPERATING MANUAL AND IT SAID TO LAND ASAP; SHUT THE ENG DOWN AND DON'T OPEN THE XFEED. BEING 300 MI FROM OUR NEAREST ARPT; WE DECIDED TO CALL THE COMPANY AND SEE IF THEY COULD GIVE US ANY ADVICE TO TROUBLESHOOT BEFORE WE SHUT THE ENG DOWN. WE GOT THEM ON THE RADIO AND EXPLAINED OUR SITUATION AND THAT WE WERE A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE SHUTTING THE ENG DOWN WITHOUT TRYING TO FIND OUT THE PROB. AS WE WERE WAITING FOR THEIR RESPONSE; THE FUEL KEPT GETTING MORE OUT OF BAL. OUR AUTOPLT WAS IN A 5 DEG BANK AND FUEL WAS STILL LEAKING. WE FELT WE COULDN'T WAIT ANY LONGER AND OPENED THE XFEED TO SEE IF THAT STOPPED THE LEAK (HOPING THE LEAK WAS IN THE LINE BTWN THE TANK AND THE ENG) AND IF IT DIDN'T; WE WOULD CLOSE IT AND SHUT THE ENG DOWN. WHEN WE DID THAT; THE LEAK STOPPED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 771043: USING CAPT'S AUTH IN AN EMER; I DECIDED NOT TO FOLLOW THE COM; WHICH CALLED FOR SHUTTING IT DOWN. WE CONTACTED DISPATCH AND TOLD THEM OF OUR SITUATION AND THAT WE WERE THINKING OF DIVERTING TO ZZZ. AT SOME POINT DISPATCH TRIED TO GET US TO FLY TO ZZZ1 BUT WE TOLD THEM NO. WE GAVE THEM A CHOICE OF ZZZ OR ZZZ2. WE DISCUSSED DIVERTING TO ZZZ3 BUT RULED THAT OPTION OUT DUE TO THE NATURE OF AN EMER AND TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE SIZE OF THE ARPT AND THE QUALITY FOR EMER RESPONSE TEAMS. OUR FEELING WAS THAT A MAJOR ARPT HANDLING ALL TYPES OF ACFT FROM SMALL SINGLE ENG ACFT TO B747'S WAS BETTER EQUIPPED TO HANDLE THE SITUATION. THE DIFFERENCE IN FLYING TIME WAS ONLY ABOUT 15 MINS. TALKING TO DISPATCH; HE MENTIONED THAT THE DIRECTOR OF A320 TRAINING JUST WALKED BY; AND THAT SINCE WE HAD 17000 LBS OF FUEL ON BOARD; 'HE HAD NO PROB' WITH US GOING TO ZZZ. WE CHANGED OUR DEST TO ZZZ. THE ATIS AT ZZZ WAS SHOWING RWY 9 WITH THE WINDS 150 DEGS AT 18 KTS GUSTING TO 23 KTS. THE WINDS WERE NOT THAT GREAT BUT WE DECIDED TO BAL OUT THE FUEL FOR LNDG. ON APCH WE WENT BACK TO 'TANK TO ENG;' JUST IN CASE OF A GAR; I WANTED TO HAVE ALL THE PUMPS ON. LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL AND I TAXIED CLR OF THE RWY. FIRE TRUCKS FOLLOWED US AND THE FIRE CHIEF INFORMED US THAT WE HAD A PRETTY GOOD LEAK ON THE R SIDE. AT THIS TIME I DECIDED TO SHUT DOWN THE R ENG. THE CHIEF THEN MENTIONED THAT THEY WERE GOING TO 'SPRAY' US DOWN AS A PRECAUTION. I INFORMED HIM THAT 'IN THAT CASE WE WILL SHUT DOWN THE L ENG ALSO AND HAVE THE COMPANY TOW US TO THE GATE.'