RESTAURANT NAMED AS LIKELY INJECTING ROOM

A FORMER Chinese takeaway in Kings Cross is the likely site for
Australia's first heroin injecting room.

The Hughes St site is one of two under consideration by the Uniting
Church and unveiled to a public meeting of Kings Cross residents last
night. The other proposed site is a former laundry in Orwell St, Kings
Cross.

Both sites will form the basis for further consultation with the local
community, Health Department and police before they are put before the
NSW Government for approval. Only one will be approved.

A third property under consideration was knocked out because its owner
was not prepared to rent it for use as a heroin shooting gallery.

The meeting, held at St John's Anglican Church at Darlinghurst, was
told it was proposed the injecting room would operate seven days a
week from 4pm to 11pm.

The project's development officer, Lyn Berggren, said: "The most
suitable site is the Hughes St site".

She said the Orwell St location was very small.

The preferred site is in the same street as the Uniting Church's
Wayside Chapel which created headlines earlier this year when it
opened its own illegal shooting gallery for heroin addicts. The former
Chinese restaurant is close to Macleay Street and Darlinghurst Road
and is also near other eating establishments.

The location is one of 32 canvassed by the Sisters of Charity Health
Service which originally was granted a licence to operate the
injecting room, but forced to withdraw after Vatican
intervention.

The potential locations were culled to four.

Under the injecting room legislation, the trial must be in the Kings
Cross area because of the high concentration of street usage and
drug-associated theft in the suburb.

It must be within 400m of Springfield Mall where all the heroin
dealing is centred.

Attended by nearly 80 residents, police and business people, last
night's meeting was sometimes fiery with several residents concerned
about dealers being attracted to the area.

The Uniting Church's Executive Director of of the Board of Social
Responsibility, Reverend Harry Herbert said the church chose to become
involved because it had a responsibility to care for those in need,
including drug users.