The Herald Sun understands the site won’t be recommended by an independent review done by former top cop Ken Lay.The state government’s preferred site remains the Drill Hall building on Victoria Street, near Elizabeth Street, but it is now willing to look at other suitable areas. Sources have told the Herald Sun that other North West CBD locations are now being considered.

The City of Melbourne opposes the Drill Hall site, as do a coalition of Drill Hall residents, market traders and visitors who have been campaigning strongly against the injecting facility being run out of the existing Cohealth community health service at 53 Victoria Street. Melbourne’s only other injecting room is in North Richmond, with many locals upset over crime and other anti-social behaviour by drug users in the area. Health Minister Martin Foley said the consultation process was continuing after Mr Lay asked for an extension into 2021.“The evidence has shown that the Richmond Medically Supervised Injecting Room continues to save and change lives, and a second supervised injecting service remains a priority for the government,” he said.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the city council had been working with Mr Lay on the consultation process.“We have put the case to Mr Lay that the proposed site on Victoria Street is not the most appropriate for this type of facility,” she said. A Cohealth spokeswoman said the organisation was looking forward to the outcome.“There is urgent need for a CBD primary health service that provides wraparound health and social care and harm reduction services for people struggling with addiction,” she said.

Sources said that the Lay review of the Drill Hall site had had a tough job balancing the need of providing the injecting service while taking into account the interests of stakeholders and the city’s recovery from pandemic shutdowns. “It’s been a very complex process done well by the Lay team,” a source said.The government has also appointed former police commissioner Lay to lead a group aimed at easing tensions over the North Richmond injecting room through a community engagement process. Last year, a City of Yarra report was scathing over the lack of proper community engagement involving the injecting facility amid conflicting views over its operations, and significant concern about drug use in the area.
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