Shipley residents have launched a last ditch campaign to prevent their grade II listed homes being dwarfed by a £3 million office block scheme.

Owners of cottages at Jane Hills have enlisted the support of Shipley MP Chris Leslie to oppose a 40,000 square foot development on their doorstep.

And they are calling on the public to sign a petition before planners decide on the application tomorrow. The scheme has been recommended for approval.

Bradford-based Robinson Architects wants to build two three and four storey office blocks on the Riverside Estate, next to Jane Hills which is believed to be one of the oldest streets in Shipley.

But residents, already surrounded by industrial units such as Filtronic, claim the development will tower over their homes and that its terracotta blocks and metal cladding are not in keeping with the area.

Restaurant owner Tony Wojkkow, who has lived on Jane Hills for three years, said residents had not objected to original plans for a two-storey development, but did not want to live "in the shadow of a monstrosity."

He said: "I bought my house precisely because of its pleasant rural aspect, also being close to my work and major cities and amenities. Where is the pleasure in gardening or sitting out enjoying the canal wildlife knowing I'm being overlooked by 200 people? We are a stone's throw away from Saltaire, which is bidding to become a national heritage site and they built these houses before they built the canal."

The residents are backed by Shipley councillors Tony Miller (Labour) and David Ford (Green). And Shipley MP Chris Leslie said he had written to planners and hoped they would take account of the residents' concerns.

A spokeswoman for Robinson Architects said they had altered plans after listening to residents' concerns and were expecting approval this week. The application will be discussed at the Shipley Area Planning Panel at Shipley Town Hall at 9am tomorrow.