Dame Anita Roddick, co-founder of The Body Shop, once said ‘If you think you’re too small to make a difference you’ve never shared a bed with a mosquito!’.
So it is with the amazing community campaign that sprung up around the controversial ‘Sackville Tower’ development. A dedicated, persistent, and energised group of community campaigners leapt into action, brilliantly championed by a local resident Angelique Henderson. I met with them and my of…fice has been in constant touch as the campaigned unfolded, and today we celebrate too because the planning application is withdrawn.
Not only was this campaign successful, it was also inspirational. It shows that when communities come together great things can happen and that power isn’t always solely in the hands of people like me!
I’m chairing a public meeting on the development next week and I am trying to meet the developers very soon too. Just because this scheme was defeated doesn’t mean that the community, and me, won’t be constructive partners going forward. I will do all I can to channel the energy that has built up during the campaign to ensure you get the development that you deserve and our community needs. All the best, Peter