As plans to set up Australia’s first ice inhalation room in Sydney’s south-west gain momentum, the community of Liverpool has expressed its concerns over the matter at a local forum.

Run by advocates, Matt Noffs and former director of the Alcohol and Drug Service at St Vincent’s Hospital, Dr Alex Wodak, the pair explained their idea to set up centres around the country where users of various drugs, including ice, could smoke and inject in a safe and sanitary space.

Despite evidence showing that drug rooms actually reduce crime, residents were not sold on the idea reported the ABC.

Among the concerns were that a room of this nature would only draw users to the area and add to the issues brought about by the suburb’s methadone clinic; a sentiment shared amongst local business owners.

“We’re trying to lease one shop at the moment to try to bring business in, but all I get from the real estate agents is ‘you’re too close to the methadone clinic, people don’t want to be associated with it’,” said local businessman George Khoury. “What’s being proposed is only likely to make that problem worse.”

While another local insisted drug-related crime had increased in the area.

“The crime rate has gone up in the suburbs – Austral’s service station out there got hit by an ice user six nights in a row,” she said.

In support of Mr Noffs and Dr Wodak’s initiative, medical director of the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in Sydney’s Kings Cross Dr Marianne Jauncey revealed that in her experience at her centre they had been highly successful in managing users.

“The [idea ice users become] uncontrollable fighting machines is just not true – they talk a lot and sometimes they need people to listen, and sometimes we can do something and get them on a different track,” she said.

While a specific site is yet to be selected for the room, Mr Noffs said the hospital precinct could be a preferred option for residents, but added that more discussion would be required to ease resident’s concerns and help “dispel a lot of anecdotal rumours” around safe rooms.