THE director of several drug rehabilitation centres faced angry residents at a parish council meeting – defending his decision to open one of his facilities in Cambridge.

Gary Queen, operations director for Gladstones, attended the monthly Slimbridge Parish Council meeting on Monday, November 17, to speak about proposals to run a clinic in Dursley Road, Cambridge.

The floor was opened to questions from members of the public and Mr Queen was asked questions on subjects including safety, risk assessment and property values.

The plan first came to public knowledge when Mr Queen, the tenant, and Jasbir Baryah, the landlord, became aware that the C2 usage classification on the premises came with the condition that it was restricted to elderly care.

The requirement to apply for a change of this condition raised the profile of the plans and allowed residents to view details of the application through Stroud District Council.

The number of objections that arose prompted Mr Queen to consult with people in the area and ease their concerns about the kind of operation he will be running.

He said: “I want to explain what we’re about. We’re potentially going to be here a long time and I want to make friends with my community and be a good neighbour.

“Of course I understand that some people are concerned and I want to listen to what they have to say. I want to get on with everybody and make it a nice place.”

One topic that was persistently raised during the meeting was that of risk assessment.

In response Mr Queen said: “We assess all of our clients, and we deal with a very middle of the road group. We don’t work with social services or probation.

“We deal with self-funding individuals from good and motivated backgrounds. We won’t accept violent people, people on the sex offenders' register or people with a history of arson.”

Mr Queen was then question on property values, and it was put to him that the centre would have a negative impact on house prices.

He said: “I disagree with that. It hasn’t made any difference in the past. I know a neighbour of one of my other centres that got a really good premium when he sold his home.

“We're a very nice and very quiet clinic. If I had had the proper planning permission nobody would have had any idea we existed.”

Resident Di Wheatley raised the point that, if Gladstones were to close their clinic somewhere down the line, the change to the property’s condition would allow another buyer to move in with a more impactful centre, such as a psychiatric ward.

She said she would like to ask SDC if a condition could be placed on Gladstones Clinic and the landlord, Mr Baryah, of Aspin Care Ltd, to ensure the property would revert back to its current status.

To further help quell the resident’s fears Mr Queen brought along a former client from his clinic in Bristol .

Elizabeth, of Cheltenham, was helped by the clinic in her struggle with alcoholism and, since attending Gladstones last year, has managed to remain free of her addiction.

She said: “The people in these clinics are paying a large amount of money to get well and actively want to get better.

“We never had anybody try to leave when I was there. It just doesn’t happen. The atmosphere inside is like a big family and you grow very close to one another during your time in there.

“The experience was incredibly helpful for me and you leave with your ‘tool box’, a collection of ways to continue tackling any problems you may be having.”

As it stands the application to change the condition may go before planning officers and not full committee.

Chief planning officer for SDC Phil Skill said: “We are aware of conversations between the Parish Council and the provider but not the substance. Currently the application remains one which could be determined by my team.

“I think these discussions with the Parish will prove to be pivotal and I await their consultation response. I am also in close contact with the ward councillors and will be guided by them."

Any representations should be made in writing to the planning service at SDC before Friday, November 28.