LIBERAL Democrat councillors held two meetings in private on the day that the Sainsbury's superstore scheme at Ashton Gate was rejected, the Evening Post can reveal.

The five Lib Dems who are members of the Development Control (South and East) committee that refused planning permission met during the afternoon in a room at the Council House.

Later, they met again a few minutes before the start of the meeting in the council chamber at 6pm, which debated the Sainsbury's plan.

Four of the Lib Dems voted in favour of refusal while one abstained. The two Tories voted against and the one Labour member abstained.

Members of planning committees cannot be politically whipped, which means they are not allowed to vote along party lines.

Before the debate began, each of the eight councillors on the committee had to say they had read all the papers and were dealing with the issue with an open mind.

The Tory group's deputy leader Peter Abraham said: "My view is that the decision is suspect and that before the planning refusal is issued, we can look at this again with a planning committee from across the whole of the city."

Senior Lib Dem councillor Mark Bailey, the group's chief whip, said: "I can assure you 150,000 per cent that the meetings were absolutely nothing to do with pre-determining the decision."

Planning expert Mike Orr told the Post: "So long as they didn't decide beforehand how they were going to vote and there was no excessive lobbying, then there is nothing to suggest bias which would invalidate the decision."

City council spokesman Peter Holt said: "It is proper for members to discuss matters before a meeting. I understand they discussed the media coverage of the application, amongst other matters.

"Members have been clear there was, however, no predetermination of the planning application in these discussions. Indeed, this was confirmed by each member before the development control committee started."

A planned meeting yesterday between the football club and the city council was called off.