PLANS to treat drug and alcohol addicts at a seafront hotel have been scrapped.
The Dewi Sant Centre in Rhyl was forced to move from its former base at a Salvation Army centre.
But their plan to move into a back room of the seafront Sandringham Hotel was criticised by residents and business people.
The Dewi Sant Centre has now said it will look for another venue.
They are due to move to a permanent new base in Clwyd Street later this year.
The Dewi Sant Centre is funded by Denbighshire Community Safety Partnership and run by charity Sova.
It was set up in 2003 to support those in need in the poorest parts of Rhyl.
A meeting to discuss the centre’s move was held in Rhyl last week.
And since then, the charity has decided not to go ahead with its controversial move.
Chris Arnold, director of Sova Wales, said: “We have decided not to go ahead as we would not wish to do anything which goes against public opinion.”
Rhyl councillor Joan Butterfield, who chaired last week’s meeting, said: “Everyone present was 100% in favour of the work Sova do and are anxious to see the service continue.
“The problem was the location. A hotel in a central promenade location is a totally inappropriate place for this service.”
The group was due to meet daily for eight weeks between 10am and 4pm.
The Sandringham Hotel is still used as a bed and breakfast, largely for homeless families sent there by Denbighshire County Council, but it still has a public bar.
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Mike Espley wrote...
The objections by the residents of West Rhyl toward the move of the Dewi Sant Centre from Windsor Street to a West Parade hotel were right with regards to the benefit of the area, residents of West Rhyl do not want substance abusers using licensed premises as a meeting place, the proposed new location is no better. Pennaf Housing, the parent company of Clwyd Alyn Housing, have acquired the former Buckles property on Clwyd Street close to the town centre and have arranged to let this property to Dewi sant or better known as SOVA. In order to achieve this move a planning application was made to Denbighshire County Council for change of use of the property on Clwyd Street from it's previous status of B1 office to D1 Office and day centre, what concerns the members of the public who have taken an interest in this issue is the fact that the planning application was not made in the name of the property owners, Pennaf. For all your readers who are interested in this please look at the planning application on the Denbighshire web site, it was made in July 2006. Dealing with substance abuse is a matter that has to be addressed, Rhyl has more than it's fair share of abusers and we need to look at combatting the problem, but putting a cetre 50 yards from the high street is wholly inappropriate. I urge the residents of West Rhyl to stand firm and fight the proposals to move the Dewi Sant centre to Clwyd Street and recommend alternatives to the chair of the SOVA steering Committee, Roly Schwartz, to find a suitable alternative that will not negatively impact on the trading cetre of Rhyl.
Posted by: Mike Espley | June 28, 2007 12:16 AM