Alcohol not injecting room the real worry for the revival of Kings Cross
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By Ingrid van Beek
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Alas
The Daily Telegraphâs reporters lying in wait for weeks in a hotel room directly opposite, their cameras trained on our entrance, missed the scoop. The flickering light of the TV emanating from behind the closed curtains suggested they may have been distracted by that nightâs State of Origin match. (Queensland won again.) And so, unannounced, 20 years ago this year, the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in Kings Cross opened, becoming the first supervised injecting facility in the English-speaking world.
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Itâs 10am on a sunny Thursday in Llankelly Place in Kings Cross and a yuppie in a business shirt and short shorts leans against a brown brick wall, vaping while waiting for his coffee.
At the next table, two sailors chat over their morning coffees. The area is filled with well-groomed people sporting AirPods and activewear.
At the same cafe, âMr Potts Pointâ â a name smartly-dressed PR professional Carrington Brigham is playfully known as â is talking about how this once grimy backstreet, now flooded with commerce, embodies Kings Crossâ shift from red-light district to a burgeoning food and wine destination.
Kings Cross businesses want removal of injecting centre to revive strip
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Kings Cross businesses are calling for the removal of the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre from the downtrodden strip if the area is to thrive from the removal of the lockout laws.
The government revealed Sydneyâs remaining lockout laws will be axed next month and restrictions on Kings Cross lifted to allow venues to open beyond 1.30am.
NSW Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello on Tuesday said he wanted the precinct to be a place for bars and restaurants, where families came to enjoy themselves.