Supermarket giant Sainsbury's plans to buy a key city centre brownfield site, which it hopes to develop.

The site, next to Brighton station, has been owned for many years by Railtrack and its predecessor, the British Rail Property Board and is now managed by Sainsbury's.

A planning application has been submitted by the New England Consortium, including Railtrack, QED, Urbed, Gleeson Homes and Sainsbury's, for the site which has been largely disused for more than 30 years.

If approved, the urban village project would include hotels, housing, workspace, offices and a supermarket.

Green councillor Keith Taylor said: "Sainsbury's must be very confident indeed to commit millions before they even have planning permission."

He called on councillors to heed the thousands of people who did not want a supermarket and a car park on the site.

Coun Taylor said instead the site should be developed largely as housing for people in need.

He said: "People talk about a housing crisis but I have never heard of a supermarket crisis."

Coun Taylor said the city council, which will hold a special planning meeting to consider the application in March, should consider the interests of people and not of big business.

Chris Gilbert, director of Sussex-based QED, said Sainsbury's had already taken over as managers of the site.

He said the transfer of ownership was conditional on planning permission being obtained and this was normal business practice.