It has only been about three weeks that we have been operating and we have made so much progress on your behalf.
We have received overwhelming community support to date – not only financial support (which is vital to our survival and for the achievement of our objectives) but also moral support. Many of you have been running around delivering pamphlets, newspapers and doing letter drops to local residents for us to keep them informed. Others are in the process of erecting signs in residents’ front yards and local shopfront windows advertising our new website and carrying our adopted catch cries “No to taverns, no to motels in Dalkeith”, “No to 5 storeys in Dalkeith”, “Council please talk to us”, “Local democracy and not planner autocracy” and “No to high rise development in Dalkeith”.
We owe our origins to Elaine Jacoby a local resident. If it was not for her, I would not have known about the dreadful Concept Plan for Dalkeith and very few of you would have.
I would really hate to think what would have happened had we not started our vigorous opposition in time.
Unfortunately, Elaine has had to step back a little from PADD’s campaign as the stress adversely affected her health. We wish her the very best and hope that she comes back on board with us once she feels well enough.
PADD has a very dedicated and wonderful group of people working tirelessly for you on the executive committee. The names and contact details for these people are on this website under “Executive Members”. Nearly all of us on the exec were strangers to each other a few weeks ago and have managed to forge an alliance that I hope will never be broken. I thank my follow exec members for all their support and tireless efforts.
The exec has essentially been working around the clock seven days a week to fight for the survival of our beautiful and unique Dalkeith. The phones ring constantly and the emails are flooding in. I am really proud of the exec and of our community.
It has taken something as frightening as the Dalkeith Concept Plan to bring the community together in such a united fashion and so something very good has come of it.
To give you a little background about myself, I am a 40 year old litigation/personal injuries lawyer and I work at Bradley Bayly Legal in the City.
I intend to keep up the fight and continue the open dialogue which I have established with Mayor Sheryl Froese and the Council CEO, Graham Foster in order to achieve our objectives.
All that I want to achieve is the betterment of Dalkeith and the future of Dalkeith is the focus of my attention. I and PADD are in no way anti-development or anti-developer – we just want to ensure that any development is carried through with the high degree of care that Dalkeith deserves.
Watch this space! We will be organizing more information walks, public meetings and other events and I will keep you informed of all developments.
Dalkeith thanks you!
Paola Lovi
Chairperson
People against Dalkeith density
(“PADD”)