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Charity’s plan for drug addict clinic wins favour (From Southend Standard)
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Charity’s plan for drug addict clinic wins favour
3:00pm Monday 22nd February 2010
CONTROVERSIAL plans to build a clinic for drug addicts have been recommended for approval by council officers.
If approved, charity Crime Reduction Initiatives will build the three-storey clinic in Clarence Road, Southend.
It would be open six days a week, from Monday to Saturday, from 9am to 6pm, and provide a needle exchange service to addicts, as well as support and counselling for those trying to kick their addiction.
Bosses of the charity have said the needle exchange would be discreet, carefully run and waste taken away by an authorised company.
The charity has promised to have a team to actively police the outside of the premises to prevent any groups loitering nearby. The area would be covered by CCTV.
A council report includes a letter of support from an unnamed local police community support officer which said the centre should help drive down drug-related offences in the town.
It states: “Without readily accessible treatment for drug users, there is little specialist help available to help users turn their lives around.
“Without help, users are likely to continue to re-offend, thereby driving up crime and antisocial behaviour.
“The continued success of this project is, therefore, pivotal to Southend if we are to take active steps to reduce the number of drug-related offences committed in Southend.”
Council officers have asked for full details of the proposed security systems to be installed before any building work begins.
According to the report, four letters of objection were received from neighbours who raised concerns about increased crime, the building being insufficiently monitored and drug users gathering and causing anti-social behaviour.
Some local business owners said they were bitterly opposed to the application.
Gregory Cain, a partner at Ebullio Capital Management, in nearby Clarence Street, said: “It will destroy the area and will drive business away.
“There are nice restaurants and professional businesses round here. They don’t want to be near this clinic.
“We have staff whose security will be under threat, no matter what these do-gooders say.
“We already have fights nearby involving local yobs and that will get worse. They should put it in an area where there are drug users, far from here.”
No one at the charity would comment on the application before it goes before the development control committee.
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Your Say Your Southend
Southend&Proud, by the sea says...
3:19pm Mon 22 Feb 10
Forget my user name I have just about had enough.
southendreb, southend says...
3:48pm Mon 22 Feb 10
????
southendreb, southend says...
3:48pm Mon 22 Feb 10
????
Basildondude, basildon says...
4:01pm Mon 22 Feb 10
RightThinker, Southend says...
4:01pm Mon 22 Feb 10
Remember this has only been recommended for approval by the council's officers, not our councillors.
Everyone against this should get in touch with Cllr Garston and Cllr Folkard asap!
VillagerNo6, Southchurch says...
6:31pm Mon 22 Feb 10
Soozie, says...
6:53pm Mon 22 Feb 10
RightThinker wrote:There is a public meeting on this on the 24th of this month - The Development Control Committee.
Soozie, what meeting on the 24th? Remember this has only been recommended for approval by the council's officers, not our councillors. Everyone against this should get in touch with Cllr Garston and Cllr Folkard asap!
I haven't a meeting time but Andrew Meddle is the contact: 215004 ext 5727
Application is SOS/09/02360/FUL
Basildondude, basildon says...
8:49pm Mon 22 Feb 10
VillagerNo6 wrote:A family cafe/bistro/wine bar etc would be better.
I take it that this is a different Clarence Road to the one Councillors recently recommended be turned into a family friendly cafe/bistro/wine bar piazza... Hmmm.
westcliffboy, Westcliff on Sea says...
9:02pm Mon 22 Feb 10
Our Councillors have voted twice before to back up the planning officers and give permission. They should be ashamed of themselves.
A dirty needle exchange service, right in the heart of Southend, next to churches, children's groups, pensioners social groups, solicitors and various other businesses...
Thames Gateway, S-O-S says...
10:59pm Mon 22 Feb 10
bob7, says...
12:42am Tue 23 Feb 10
Soozie, says...
7:36am Tue 23 Feb 10
The area would be covered by CCTV.
Yes right...this makes it better. If the clinic isn't there policing the area would not be necessary.
I can imagine if this goes through, business will leave the area and this will be another no go zone.
So much for wanting to bring in day trippers.
westcliff willi, says...
7:49am Tue 23 Feb 10
Soozie wrote:Andrew meddle!!!!!!!! the very same that recommended that the homeless charity HARP be allowed to open a 30 bed room hostel for junkies and alcies in the middle of a residential street.
RightThinker wrote: Soozie, what meeting on the 24th? Remember this has only been recommended for approval by the council's officers, not our councillors. Everyone against this should get in touch with Cllr Garston and Cllr Folkard asap!There is a public meeting on this on the 24th of this month - The Development Control Committee. I haven't a meeting time but Andrew Meddle is the contact: 215004 ext 5727 Application is SOS/09/02360/FUL
Soozie, says...
7:58am Tue 23 Feb 10
This is shameful.....why don't CRI just give up with trying to put this clinic in this area?
Whats the deal here then?
westcliffboy, Westcliff on Sea says...
9:24am Tue 23 Feb 10
Are out oficers serving us correctly? Is there collusion at the Civic Centre? Why are town plans changed without open debate, why do we constantly message here and complain about the Council? Why does the Echo run stories which are factually wrong on this CRI issue?
Soozie, says...
9:49am Tue 23 Feb 10
I cannot, for the life of me understand why any drug clinic (with needle exchange) should go either in a residential area, or off the high street where there are businesses, THAT earn money, THAT pay business rates AND council tax...
This council cannot see anything past their own nose and if it just about politics and point scoring,it is all going to come back and bite them in the a$$ big time.
This clinic, if it goes through is going to create some really big problems in the area and once the damage is done, it is done.
westcliffboy, Westcliff on Sea says...
10:02am Tue 23 Feb 10
Soozie, says...
11:17am Tue 23 Feb 10
If anyone had any balls right now in this council - including Meddle, they would say no way to this clinic.
Having it there just degrades Southend even more.
Real shame that the council is hell bent on driving this town into the ground and making it a craphole.
bumper, sorry its not my town or village says...
11:34am Tue 23 Feb 10
half will only use it to dodge jail
Southend&Proud, by the sea says...
1:02pm Tue 23 Feb 10
Didn't I hear that they have a similar operation in Brighton and it has had the opposite effect of what it should do?
I just can't get my head around this.
Money is being spent on the rejuvenation of the town to make it a place worth visiting and they want to stick something like this in a road next to the busy high street and next to the conservation area. I bet the Clarence Yard bar owners can't wait to see who they have come through the door NOT. Families etc use the road to cut through to the car parks and what about the businesses already there. Well we have already heard the reaction of some of them. Don't they countt??.....Obvious
ly not. Ok so they say that they will stop groups loitering outside the premises but where will they all go then. Are they going to be monitored where they will head off to next, The high street, the Cliff gardens, the sea front?? There are already places that you don't want to go after dark in Southend and sometimes even during the day. This will become just another one of those areas. Congratulations!
westcliff willi, says...
2:51pm Wed 24 Feb 10
Southend&Proud wrote:The owner/landlord of the proposed building changed his mind and sell/rent to the group
Out of interest does anyone know the reason why a similar clinic due to open in Westcliff was rejected? Didn't I hear that they have a similar operation in Brighton and it has had the opposite effect of what it should do? I just can't get my head around this. Money is being spent on the rejuvenation of the town to make it a place worth visiting and they want to stick something like this in a road next to the busy high street and next to the conservation area. I bet the Clarence Yard bar owners can't wait to see who they have come through the door NOT. Families etc use the road to cut through to the car parks and what about the businesses already there. Well we have already heard the reaction of some of them. Don't they countt??.....Obvious ly not. Ok so they say that they will stop groups loitering outside the premises but where will they all go then. Are they going to be monitored where they will head off to next, The high street, the Cliff gardens, the sea front?? There are already places that you don't want to go after dark in Southend and sometimes even during the day. This will become just another one of those areas. Congratulations!
Southend&Proud, by the sea says...
11:54am Thu 25 Feb 10
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Soozie, says...
3:07pm Mon 22 Feb 10
This council has no regard for any of the residents.
Creeps.