Merchants Quay Ireland has described as "reprehensible" Dublin City Council's refusal of planning permission for a drug injection centre.
The homelesss charity made its claim in a strongly-worded submission as part of its appeal to An Bord Pleanála to allow the facilty at its premises on the south city quays.
The city council refused permission for the State's first supervised injection centre because of an existing overconcentration of social support services in the south city area, the lack of a policing plan, fears that it would undermine the tourism economy and would have an "injurious" effect on the local residential community.
Merchants Quay is now appealing this decision but An Bord Pleanála has also received new submissions from objectors including a report from a former assistant garda commissioner, which claims such facilities have created "drug trafficking zones" in other countries.
A primary school beside the facility has produced reports saying the activity around the centre will be pyschologically damaging to children, while the Children's Ombudsman has said Merchants Quay failed to carry out a child-impact assessment despite requests.
In its appeal Merchants Quay says the refusal of planning permission by the city council "flies in the face" of Government policy, which granted a licence for the injection facility and claims the council does not have the power to decide on its planning.
Source: John Kilraine, RTE.ie, 03/10/19
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