Residents accused Brighton and Hove Council of ignoring the wishes of local people during a meeting today.

More than 200 attended the meeting, organised by campaigners opposed to plans to build a supermarket next to Brighton station.

The site has been empty for 30 years and a planing brief unveiled by the council last week said it could be used for a supermarket, up to 400 homes and a hotel, workshops and a training centre.

Last night's meeting was organised by campaign group Brighton Urban Development and Design to give residents the chance to respond to the proposals.

A planning application first put forward in 1997 by retail giants Sainsbury's to build a superstore on the site was rejected by the council and also by a public inquiry.

A council-organised public meeting attended by 500 people in October also came out strongly against any supermarket on the site, saying it should be used for community activities and housing.

But the council's new draft briefing document now says a supermarket nearly twice the size of the London Road Sainsbury's store would be permitted on the site as part of a wider development including social and private housing, open spaces, offices and a training centre.

Many people at the meeting, which took place at Brighton College of Technology, said they did not believe it was possible to build a supermarket of that size on the site without increasing traffic in the area.

Others said they feared such a development would have a devastating effect on the already struggling London Road shopping area and the Open Market.

BUDD member Keith Taylor said: "In allowing the supermarket-led scheme, the council is not only reneging on its election promise of delivering a sustainable development but also ignoring the wishes of local people."

Sara Bragg, who chaired the meeting said: "We are concerned that building a supermarket with free parking for 200 cars will generate traffic, increase congestion and sound the death knell for the London Road and the Open market.

"The council was not prepared to organise a public meeting for feedback before the publication of the draft briefing so we have had to do it.

"We will give the feedback from this meeting to the group but can give no guarantee it will be able to change anything."

Coun John Ballance, chair of a working group on the issue which is to recommend the planning draft to the council, was present at the meeting to defend the proposals.

He said: "I think this planning brief is the most radical to be developed in Brighton at any time."

He stressed a core aim of the draft is to encourage a switch from cars and to encourage pedestrians and public transport