Site of the new centre for drug addictsA STORM is brewing over a housing association's plan to turn a Trowbridge house into a centre for recovering drug addicts.

Residents living close to the planned centre in Bradford Road believe Trowbridge is becoming the "drug capital of west Wiltshire", while elected councillors are furious they were kept in the dark.

Bath-based Somer Housing is behind the project, which has already knocked thousands off the value of nearby homes.

Housing association officials met with concerned residents and councillors at a meeting on Monday.

Neighbour Margaret Bell, 64, said: "Why would they choose a semi-detached house which backs onto a secondary school's playing fields and is just round the corner from a primary school? Their answer was because it was within walking distance of the town centre. Obviously getting to Asda is the priority."

Another resident said: "We are totally miserable. It seems there is nothing we can do. It is a fait accompli."

Somer will turn the property into a six-place drug rehab centre, in partnership with West Wiltshire District Council and the Drugs and Homelessness Initiative (DHI).

It will be staffed from 9am to 5pm, five days a week, taking in former addicts and substance abusers from across the county.

A statement from Somer Housing said: "Residents will be people who have made the life-changing commitment to abstain from drug or alcohol abuse and will already have been through a rehabilitation process before moving in.

"They will not be current drug users and any re-occurence of abuse will lead to their removal from the property.

"Applicants for places at the property will undergo a rigorous assessment by DHI to ensure their suitability for both the project and the location in which it is situated."

Amber caused controversy last year by opening a similar centre in Bythesea Hotel, while a third is planned for the former Drinkwater site off Longfield roundabout.

Wiltshire county councillor Jeff Osborn has demanded to know why local members were not told and has fielded a question to district council leader Tony Phillips asking what was behind the apparent secrecy.

He said: "The locals believe they have been well and truly shafted.

"What is the point of elected members being referred to as community leaders when they are totally ignored as to matters of immense importance to their local community?"