The Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB) signed off the move on Monday. Officers will prepare the consultation for early 2026, with members of the public asked to give views over a three-month period. Possible sites in the Old Town include the Cowgate and Spittal Street.

Labour councillor and board chair Tim Pogson said: “We all recognise that Edinburgh has a problem in terms of harmful drug use. We should be supporting those individuals and supporting their health. And I know there will be concerns – but that’s why we need to have the consultation. We need to understand all the issues and talk them through, and get the best outcome we can for all of this.”

According to a report circulated ahead of the meeting, the site could be co-located with a homeless day service or an opiate replacement therapy centre, operating daily for eight to 12 hours.

Nurses would supervise users while they inject, or possibly inhale, drugs. Staff would also provide support, including referrals to services, drug checking, and naloxone kits to reverse overdoses. Clinics could also address wound care, infectious diseases, sexual health and chronic conditions.

If established, the facility would become Scotland’s second such service, after Glasgow’s Thistle site. The plans draw on models from both Glasgow and Dublin.

Board members expressed broad support but raised questions over planning. NHS Lothian’s Patricia Cantley asked whether people from outside Edinburgh would use the service and if neighbouring councils were being consulted. Citizen member Eugene Mullan queried timescales.

Andrew Hall, strategic planning officer, said a consultation could begin in the new year “with fair wind” but warned it would take more than a year to open a facility, citing analysis of responses, funding, legal hurdles and site selection.

Members of the board agreed to proceed without changes to the officers’ recommendations.