The chairman of an organisation representing city centre traders has resigned after councillors unanimously approved a drug rehabilitation unit in the city centre.

Jeweller Jeff Frankel, who has headed Bradford Retail Action Group for more than 20 years, quit in protest over the decision to allow former offices at Fountains Hall, off Rawson Road, to become a Drugs unit with a surgery for two GPs and pharmacy.

He also quit the City Centre Steering Group, which represents all the city's main organisations, saying he despaired

for the city and the way it would suffer.

Objectors included the City Centre Steering Group, Bradford Centre Regeneration and Prudential, owners of the Kirkgate shopping centre, and the city centre Little Monsters nursery which said parents feared loiterers and problems from discarded needles.

They backed the idea of a new doctors' surgery and accepted the need for the drug service.

But they said Fountains Hall was entirely the wrong place and too close to the retail heart of the city.

Supporters of the plan, put forward by Bradford City Teaching Primary Care Trust (tPCT), were health service staff and police Superintendent Colin Western.

Yesterday, the regulatory and appeals committee insisted on an extra CCTV camera as a condition of consent for the unit which would help treat 650 people with drug problems.

The committee was told the service had previously operated from sub-standard Akam House, in Vaughan Street, but had been temporarily moved into St Luke's Hospital.

After the meeting, Catherine Riley, manager of the Kirkgate Centre, spoke of her disappointment.

She said: "There has been a huge groundswell of opinion in the city which has not been taken into account."

But tPCT chief executive Lynnette Throp said the services were needed and had to be central and accessible.

Miss Throp said it would not be a "walk-in" system but people were referred by their doctors and had appointments.

She said: "They are people who want to maintain a normal life. There is no need for them to stay about afterwards and they often need to go back to work."

Drugs would not be kept at the unit but people would be given prescriptions, and they would not be offering a needle exchange service.

She told the committee: "We have a duty to provide health care to people who need it and an urgent need to move."

Councillor the Reverend Paul Flowers (Lab, Great Horton) said the proposal should be welcomed not opposed. He said: "We simply can't ignore a problem. It is not just the problem of health professionals, drug users and carers, it is a problem for everyone."

But Mr Frankel said: "I now despair for Bradford. It will become an area for drug dealers, addicts and ne'er-do-wells and I hope the police will allow the extra resources for the bill they will have to meet when all this happens."