Shardeloes rehab centre application

Substance abuse rehabilitation charity CRI  has applied to convert the Old Bank Building at the Brockley Cross end of Shardeloes Road into a rehab centre.

The application is for a facility which will offer counselling, clinical prescribing, needle exchange and aftercare.

The proposal, which has been heavily trailed, is opposed by the Brockley Cross Action Group and welcomed by Brockley's Cllr Johnson.

In Brockley Central's view, this is a poor location for the centre, failing on two of the criteria which it sets itself: The Council want to relocate from Lewisham to make it more accessible to patients from Brockley, Deptford and New Cross, but which this site lacks any nearby public transport links with Deptford. The Council wants such facilities to be located in commercial areas, but this is primarily residential.

Despite these reservations and the evasive consultation process, we're of the view that this new centre won't bring narcopocalypse to Brockley. Life will go on. It probably will cause some problems (to pretend otherwise is an insult to people with genuine concerns), but probably not that many (to suggest it will radically change the area is an overstatement). It might even persuade the police and the Council to take the problem of drug dealing at this location more seriously.