COUNCILLORS have approved a controversial plan to turn a Shipley activity centre into flats for over 55s.

An application by the Anchor Trust called for the centre, based in a retirement complex on Westcliffe Road, closed and converted into seven flats.

Community groups objected to the plans, saying it would leave them without a base.

The plans went before Bradford Council's Keighley and Shipley Area Planning Panel yesterday, where members voted to approve the plans.

Sharon McDickens from the Anchor Trust told the panel that the group was a charity, and running the centre had become unsustainable. She said: "For some time this centre has run at a loss, we've been unable to make it financially viable. We have not taken this decision lightly." She said the centre would likely have to close whether the plans to covert it into flats were approved or not.

The panel were also told that Anchor had worked to try and re-home many of the groups that use the centre, with success in some cases.

Chair of the panel Councillor Doreen Lee praised the group for the work it had done to re-house the groups, adding; "You've gone above and beyond the call of duty."

Councillors admitted it was a shame to lose the centre, but agreed that there was no reasonable cause to refuse the planning applications.