The residents of Netherlands Square at Low Moor arguably have a better case than some of the other groups who are opposed to a home for troubled youngsters being built in their locality.

Their appeal for an area of grassland and trees, used for generations as a relatively safe playground, to be designated as a village green at least deserves to be officially heard before a planning decision is taken on turning it over for use as one of the five new children's homes planned for Bradford.

Whatever the outcome of this particular dispute, though, these homes have to be built somewhere and the less acrimony with which it can be done the better.

These are children who need the security and sense of normality such places can provide if they are to recover from the emotional damage which has been done to them. It will be the worst possible start to what should be a new life if they are to run into instant antagonism from the people who live nearby.

If they are imposed on neighbours who as a result resent them and are looking for them to slip up, there is a much-increased chance of them living up to expectations. There is also a danger that the children already living nearby could pick up on the vibes and start to behave badly themselves by tageting the newcomers.

The Council needs to improve its consultation procedure and do more to allay fears about the way the homes will be supervised, and for their part the residents need to be more open-minded about these youngsters who will be their vulnerable new neighbours.