Campaigners are celebrating the withdrawal of a controversial planning application for a drug therapy centre on their doorsteps.

A protest began over the plans by the city-centre based drug treatment charity the Bridge Project to create a counselling centre for substance misusers at Carr Bottom Road, Bankfoot.

Hundreds of people living nearby were infuriated that they were not properly notified of the scheme and were initially kept in the dark about the organisation behind it.

Earlier this week they learned that NHS Bradford and Airedale commissioned the project after a contract was awarded to Bridge by Bradford Safer Communities Partnership. It would see Bridge taking over the services run by Ripple in Butter-shaw from July.

But in a late twist it was confirmed yesterday that the application to use 1 Bankfield House, Holroyd Busi-ness Centre, for the therapy centre had been withdrawn and other options were being considered.

One resident, Vicky Williams, said people were still concerned that the application could be re-submitted.

She said: “Residents agree that schemes like the Bridge Project should run, but not here. We don’t have a need for a centre like this.

“I would also like to point out how under-handed this has been – it was only by chance we found out who put the planning application in.”

Councillor Ralph Berry (Lab, Wibsey) said: “It’s a shocking breach of procedure. People have a full entitlement to be aware of what is being proposed in their community.

“We are therefore glad that reason has prevailed at this point and the application has been withdrawn.”

A spokesman for NHS Bradford and Airedale said: “Bridge has withdrawn its planning application for the Carr Bottom Road premises in order to review its options.”