A Teignbridge councillor has warned that a youth advice centre and shelter planned for Newton Abbot will bring a growing drugs and alcohol problem to the town's retail centre. Councillors and aid workers are planning to bring various support agencies together, including the Teignbridge Drugs Project, in a bid to improve the service. But Cllr Shirley Maddicott told members of Teignbridge Council's executive committee on Monday that the proposed site at the former Three Cooks bakery, Queen Street, was wrong. 'Newton Abbot is rife with drugs but [this advice centre] is in the centre of town,' she said. 'Why not somewhere else, like the old hospital?' Cllr Maddicott also queried how the centre, complete with accommodation for four youths, one residential worker and up to 20 support staff, would help those already battling with alcohol. 'It's next door to a pub,' she exclaimed. 'I'm not at all happy with the situation. Whenever there's a problem, it's always Newton Abbot that gets bundled with it.' Fending off her concerns, council leader, Cllr Alan Connett, praised the concept of different agencies under one roof. 'This strikes me as very good when organisations come together,' he said. The councillor overseeing the project, Cllr David Weekes, said that too many young people in trouble were 'slipping through the net' as the several agencies involved didn't work together. 'There hasn't always been as much coordination as there ought to be ,' he said. Concerns that the plans, the costs of which have yet to be made public, were premature and dependent on planning permission, were also dismissed by Cllr Connett and others who argued it was the principle which needed supporting at this stage. Cllr Keith Smith said the site issue was 'a red herring' and praised the 'ground breaking stuff' the project represented. He commented 'Our commitment to the scheme needs to be made now.' His colleague, Cllr Stuart Barker, added: 'It's not good enough for society or us to push this problem out of sight down some back street.' Councillors agreed to financially support the project and more talks will now be held with the county council and support agencies.
