By Luke Voogt
Highton residents opposing a planned drug and alcohol clinic have vowed to fight to the highest level if Geelong’s administrators approve the project.
“As a community, we are certainly prepared to fight this as long as we can,” said former councillor Ron Nelson, who was co-ordinating the campaign.
But the company behind the planned clinic will await a City Hall hearing that will examine the project next Tuesday before deciding its next move, its rehab manager said.
Mr Nelson held a meeting of about 70 residents at the Highton Tennis Club Monday night.
“I just tried to get a sense of how many we could get to speak at the administrators’ meeting,” he said.
Mr Nelson, a Highton resident, has vehemently opposed the proposed clinic due to its location 12m from a local bottle shop and near a veterinarian.
He tabled a petition of 427 signatures against the clinic at a City Hall meeting on 28 February. City Hall received a further 99 objections to the project.
“I think this will inevitably end up at VCAT (Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal) – so we’re preparing for that,” Mr Nelson said.
“That may cost us a substantial amount of money.”
But Habitat Therapeutics’ rehab manager Warren Holland said the company would await the administrators’ verdict before deciding what action to take.
“We’re going to let the process take place. We’re not trying to boss people around.”
Mr Holland said it was virtually impossible to avoid all contact with anything alcohol-related, and that learning to deal with temptation was part of the treatment.
He welcomed the administrators’ examination of the project.
“We’re a legitimate business trying to operate a legitimate service, and we have as much right as any other business to run under the permits we have.”
Geelong’s administrators will consider the proposal at a public hearing at 5pm on 11 April.
