Press Release: People Against Density Dalkeith (www.padd.org.au) Still reeling from the inappropriate re-development of the Steve’s site on the Nedlands foreshore and angered by the Nedlands City Council’s covert plans for the re-development of Dalkeith, the local residents have formed an action group, People Against Density Dalkeith (PADD). The Council’s concept plan proposes turning both sides of Waratah Avenue and the adjacent Circe Circle into a commercial/retail and high density housing area right through from Adelma to Roberts. The plans allow for a motel, hotel or tavern, buildings up to five storeys high and existing laneways to be widened to eight metres. PADD Chair, lawyer Paola Lovi (9386 2720; paolalovi@bigpond.com), reports overwhelming community support for PADD. In its first two weeks, hundreds of households have flocked to the cause, thousands of dollars have been donated and many local business people, architects and town planners have volunteered their services. PADD has already organised its own website (www.padd.org.au) and a guided walk for 200 residents to help them understand the true nature and extent of the proposals. A second walk is planned for Sunday February 3, starting out from Dalkeith Village at 10 am. To ensure that residents’ views are heard and represented, PADD is organising a Public Meeting in Dalkeith Community Hall at 7.30pm on February 11. PADD is also helping residents to make submissions, sign petitions and lobby the Mayor, Council and Council officials. It has produced 500 placards protesting against the Council’s plan and lack of consultation. Paola Lovi says “All submissions for or against the plan must be with Council by February 15. The Council says it sent out letters to residents but hardly anyone knew about this plan and the Council timed the consultation period over the Christmas and New Year break.” PADD is also using the Freedom of Information Act to obtain the Council’s terms of reference to the consultants drawing up the plan and the costs of the study. PADD Executive member and town planner Max Hipkins (9386 5788; max@chitttering.wa.gov.au) who is standing for election in the Dalkeith Ward says “the scale of commercial/retail expansion is excessive in the extreme and the scale of residential use grossly excessive.” He adds “There is no explanation as to why the study has been undertaken.” Professor Martyn Webb (9386 5714; mjwebb@cyllene.uwa.edu.au) describes the draft plan as “misguided and completely inappropriate and out of scale”. He says it “goes so far beyond the true meaning of a concept plan that it is essentially an ‘oven ready’ plan which could have been left as is without any public consultation until the statutory 42 day period for submissions: by which time it would have been virtually impossible to have made any significant change.”