Friday October 30th 2015
A Development Trust for all of Dalkeith – Public Meeting on 9/11/5 from 6.30pm in Dalkeith Arts Centre.
You are invited to come along and join the conversation about a Development Trust for all the communities of Dalkeith. Refreshments will be available from 6.30pm, before gathering for an update from the One Dalkeith steering group and some guest speakers. These will include an overview from Development Trust Association of Scotland and the story of Neilston Development Trust. The meeting will then be open to discussion of ideas for how a Development Trust could benefit our town.
One Dalkeith grew from a collaboration between Dalkeith’s two Community Councils, following the Midlothian Advertiser’s “Give us a Hub” campaign. The discussion at the first two public meetings showed that people want the town centre regeneration to have places to come together, including arts and community facilities. Many local politicians attended, and Owen Thompson (then leader of Midlothian Council and now MP) called for a “community led approach”. A consensus emerged that a Development Trust model should be explored, and this led to the One Dalkeith Steering Group.
Development Trusts can play a vital role in regenerating a town, through community owned enterprise and innovation, but they are as diverse as Scotland’s Towns are. To succeed in Dalkeith, it is therefore vital that our community decides what our Development Trust should be like, and what it should do. One Dalkeith look forward to continuing the conversation as widely as possible, with the public meeting as the next significant step in this process.
