A campaign has been launched to prevent a wet shelter for homeless people being opened in an area of Cork city.
Cork City Council will vote next month on a proposal to develop a 15-bed Simon Community unit at Leitrim/Coburg Street to accommodate about 20 street drinkers.
However, residents' associations and businesses have expressed concerns about the location of the centre, saying they fear for the safety of the community.
Brian Trevor, spokesman for the North River Quarter Community Group, said a wet centre would be catastrophic in an area that had six secondary schools with over 4,000 students.
"The Dublin experience has made clear that the proposed wet centre will bring a high level of antisocial behaviour and an accompanying criminality that will give residents no choice but to move to another location.
"To put such a centre in an area with thousands of students is a recipe for disaster. We have an on-street drinking problem in Cork and we recognise that. But this is an area that already has 24 pubs and three off-licences.
"It is just crazy to have it [the centre] here."
Mr Trevor said residents were excluded from the consultation process and are having the centre foisted upon them in spite of their reservations.
The North River group has commissioned a study on the feasibility of placing a wet shelter in their area and a number of public meetings are planned.
A brochure published by the group features objections to the project from local businesses and schools.
The 4,000 students attend schools such as Christian Brothers College, Scoil Mhuire, Bruce College and St Angela's.
Christian Brothers College say that from a health and safety point of view, the wet centre "is the single biggest health and safety risk to children attending the school".
Householders from the Sidney Park Residents' Association claim the Leitrim Street location is a poor choice as there is little margin for error in avoiding a traffic accident there.
"Anyone not fully focused or physically off balance, for any reason, are at a risk. A property having a less busy and more spacious exit would be better."
Meanwhile, Cork City Council has told community groups that the aim of the proposed development in Leitrim Street is to tackle street drinking in a professional manner.
It is hoped the new project will help homeless people to move on to some form of independent living.
The council has invited residents to support the project and become part of the solution to the problem of street drinking.
Cork Green Party councillor Chris O'Leary, who is undecided on whether the proposed project should go ahead, said one of the main problems facing the council is that nobody wants a wet shelter in their own community.
"I do think that residents have been blatantly omitted from this process and there has been no consultation. But this is a Catch 22 situation as people will say that wet shelters are needed but not on our doorstep.
"That said, I think the whole thing has been undemocratic to say the least. Residents have had no say."