Concern at lack of risk assessment over drug and alcohol service’s Llanelli relocation plan
Councillors have been asking to see a risk assessment for months but it emerged that one was never done
Questions are being asked over why no risk assessment has been done ahead of proposals to relocate drug and alcohol rehabilitation services from Llanelli town centre to North Dock.
As part of a plan for a health improvement and wellbeing centre in Llanelli the Dyfed Drug and Alcohol Service (DDAS) have proposed the move from Vaughan Street to the former WRW building at Anchor Point (pictured above).
While the work of DDAS is recognised as being important, the relocation plan has sparked concern locally.
Last November, councillors asked the Dyfed Area Planning Board (APB) for a range of documents including a risk assessment relating to the suitability of the plans for the area, but their request was not met.
The APB is its own multi-agency body - which funds DDAS - and is responsible for supporting the planning, commissioning and performance management of substance misuse services.
It is made up of representatives from Hywel Dda University Health Board, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire county councils, Dyfed-Powys Police and other partner organisations.
Now following a Freedom of Information (FoI) request made to Hywel Dda by county councillor Sean Rees, it has emerged that a risk assessment and community impact survey into the proposed North Dock relocation have not been carried out.
However, the FoI did give details confirming the APB considered 19 locations as part of the relocation plans.
All the locations explored were only within the Llanelli area, 15 of them being in the Glanymor and Tyisha wards.
The FoI response states: "The Hywel Dda University Health Board (UHB) has not undertaken a risk assessment or a community impact assessment (CIA) and is therefore unable to provide the requested information.
"A CIA would be the duty of Dyfed-Powys Police or the local authority to undertake.
"However, the UHB is due to undertake an equality impact assessment during the coming weeks."
Following the FoI, county councillors and residents in the area believe the risk assessment and a study on any impact on the community should have been done prior to the closing of public consultation over the relocation.
In a joint statement, Cllr Rees and Cllr Louvain Roberts, county councillors for Glanymor Ward said: "We continue to receive serious concerns from our residents regarding the proposal to relocate DDAS to North Dock.
"As a community, we have many questions relating to several health and safety issues, and we now find out that these have not even been considered.
"Concerns have been highlighted at a well-attended meeting held in the Antioch Centre and at the Selwyn Samuel Centre drop-in event which the health board organised after the consultation had closed.
"There have been hundreds of objections online and signing of a community petition.
"As we have said throughout this entire process, nobody is questioning the service provided by DDAS, but common sense needs to prevail here regarding its relocation.
"North Dock is not suitable given its residential, recreational, tourist and business area in nature.
"It also has a children's playground with water-based activities taking place in the Dock itself.
"This proposed relocation would be completely out of character with the area."
As well as DDAS, the centre's plans include space for Hywel Dda’s health improvement and wellbeing public health team, services for children and young people's mental health, smoking cessation, and children and adult psychology.
Hywel Dda's executive director of strategy and planning, Lee Davies said: "The health board is due to undertake an equality impact assessment (EQIA) during the coming weeks, which will assess the effect of the proposed development upon patients, service users, staff and any other relevant stakeholders.
"Once completed, the EQIA will be published on the health board's website for the public to have an opportunity to read it and those who wish to comment will have an opportunity to do so on the health board’s ‘Have Your Say’ website.
"The EQIA, alongside the public feedback, will support the health board to make a decision on the proposals to develop a wellness centre in the North Dock area of Llanelli.
"The progression of this project is still subject to a number of conditions, such as successful planning permission and consideration of other evidence submitted including feedback from organisational stakeholders and members of the public."
