A councillor is calling for housing trust bosses to ditch their plans to put a controversial head office on a grassy area near people's homes.

People living in Greengates have signed a 300-name petition to try to save the green space at Rookwith Parade which families have used for generations for leisure.

But despite their objections Bradford North Housing Trust has gone ahead with its proposals by submitting plans to Bradford Council for approval.

Ward councillor Anne-Marie Benson (Lab, Eccleshill) now wants to meet with the housing trust to persuade them to pull the plug on their bid and withdraw the application.

The trust wants to build a first-floor building on the land with on-site parking fenced off from the Parade and the houses that surround it.

Campaigners claim the Trust has ignored them and are furious the Trust has taken the application so far. Coun Benson said: "From what I've heard the consultation process was deeply flawed. I want to meet with the Trust and the petitioners to stop the building from happening and to discuss alternatives, there must be other possibilities. We want them to pull the application."

One of the leading campaigners Christine Powell, 67, of Rookwith Parade, said: "We will keep lobbying everyone we can at the Housing Trust and at the Council to make sure this application does not get through. No one wants a monstrosity built slap bang in front of their homes."

Residents fear the unwanted development will attract more traffic and trouble-makers into the area and that children who use the grassy patch as a play area now will be deprived of the space generations of youngsters have enjoyed up until now.

Today Tim Doyle, executive director of North Bradford Community Housing Trust, insisted several hundreds of residents had been consulted via a newsletter in question and answer form but only one negative response had been received.

He added: "We've dealt with this issue in an open and transparent manner - we have nothing to hide. Now it's up to the planners to decide!"

Bradford Community Housing Trust took over all Bradford Council's 26,000 Council houses in February last year and has pledged to carry out £175 million worth of improvements and repairs over the first five years.

Bradford North is one of six area trusts which operate under its umbrella serving different areas.