A HOSTEL for heavy drinkers in Southampton is set to open in the inner city with the help of regeneration cash.

A grant of £90,000 was rushed through in just 24 hours by the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) team to allow the Society of St James to secure a house for conversion into a hostel at a secret address in a non-residential area of Newtown.

SRB programme manager Glenda Adby said the small hostel for five residents would help tackle the problems of people in the area who suffer from acute alcohol dependency.

Other hostels refuse to offer accommodation to people who are still drinking, and faced with nowhere to go they often end up sleeping rough. The new hostel will follow a successful formula established in other cities and is designed to help people who just cannot live without drink.

The exact location of the hostel - which is still in the process of being bought - has not been revealed due to the sensitivity of its use.

Chairman of the Southampton Regener-ation Partnership, Paul Jenks, pictured, said the Society of St James had asked it to keep the information confidential.

The SRB board meeting went into private session so members could be told the address before they unanimously endorsed the venture.

Mr Jenks said he welcomed such a facility being established in the inner city, but prior to the disclosure of the address, community representative David Roath said he was concerned there may be a risk to local residents.

"There is no evidence of safety issues. The people who will use the hostel have a right to live in society as much as the neighbours have a right to the facility being well-managed. The responsibility is with the Society of St James to manage the hostel well and handle any problems," said Mr Jenks.