The Eastern Health Board has agreed to halve the number of places at a drug treatment centre in the Millbrook Lawns area of Tallaght after local residents and business people complained of an influx of patients from outside the locality.
From September 1st next, only 40 drug users from a designated local area will receive treatment at the clinic. This will be reviewed next March when a further 20 addicts will be allowed admission but only if they reside in the immediate parish.
Of the 40 patients who will no longer be treated at the clinic, 24 will be transferred either to local GPs or to community projects. Alternative places have yet to be found for the remainder.
A spokeswoman for the EHB said there was "no question" of treatment ending for these patients. "We are committed to providing a continuous service and will be looking for alternative locations in the Tallaght area."
The agreement was reached at a meeting between the EHB and the local community on Thursday night. Under the deal, only addicts from Millbrook Lawns, Old Bawn and Glenview will be admitted to the clinic. Also, new security measures will be introduced, including closed-circuit television cameras and the posting of a security guard outside rather than inside the centre.
The clinic has been open since October last. However, it was not until there was a fire there four weeks ago that local feelings were galvanised. Earlier this month, there were angry protests when the EHB introduced a mobile clinic to care for the addicts while the centre was being repaired.
Mr Tony Walsh, joint owner of St Dominic's shopping centre, who chaired the Thursday night meeting, said "it was never the case that local people were against treating their own. What we had a problem with was large numbers of people from outside the area coming in and wrecking the place."
He admitted many people from the locality were attending clinics elsewhere.
