An electricity substation that has become a hangout for drug users is to be fenced off.
EnergyAustralia has confirmed that it will install a fence at the kiosk substation in Marys Place, Surry Hills, which according to residents had become a regular haunt for drug users.
An EnergyAustralia spokesperson said the group had met with the Beresford Hotel, on whose property the kiosk lies, to discuss the issue.
“Safety around electrical equipment is a top priority at EnergyAustralia and we are working with the hotel to install a fence,” the spokesperson said.
“We have consulted St Michael’s Anglican Church [which backs on to the kiosk] about its concerns and will continue to work with the community on this issue.”
Reverend Francis Chalwell, Minister of St Michael’s Anglican Church said he was very relieved that EnergyAustralia was going to act on his concerns.
He added that the laneway had a history of violence and the issue had been one of safety.
“It [the kiosk] provides a nook for someone of ill intent to hide behind, and perhaps even drag someone behind it,” he said.
He was also concerned for the drug users themselves who used the site.
“[It] does create a disincentive for them to go and use the safe injecting room in Kings Cross … so it’s not good for their personal health to be unsupervised,” he said.
Mary’s Place is named after a young woman who was bashed and raped there in the late 1990s.
by Gareth Narunsky
