An Bord Pleanála has approved Merchants Quay Ireland's planning application for a medically supervised injection facility on Merchant's Quay in Dublin.
MQI offices are located along Merchants Quay, near the landmark Civic Offices (the headquarters of DCC), within the south west inner city in Dublin 8.
In its original application, MQI said the anticipated number of clients was between 60 and 100 and that the majority of people would be “existing clients”. The service would operate for 9.5 hours per day.
Last July, DCC refused the charity's application for the pilot medically supervised injecting facility (MSIF). Dublin City Council planners said the proposed site, in the basement of the existing offices of Merchants Quay Ireland, was located on a “primary tourist route” within the city’s historic core and that the council’s City Development Plan had to be considered.
The Minister for Health says it is time to get serious about tackling addiction issues in Ireland. Simon Harris says it's time Ireland recognises that addiction is an illness. He has hailed An Bord Pleanála's decision as excellent news which allows the country to proceed with its first supervised injection facility.
More to follow.
