Chris:
In reply to your post, which does have some good points worthy of note, in two hours, I got 100 signatures. I can only tell you my personal experience, of those who signed my sheets, whereas Lorraine, who was next to me, can give her account.
As too can our four friends who were in the Cannon Street area.
So, of those who spoke with me and signed, I would estimate that about 80% were local people from Dover and vicinity, including Folkestone and Walmer.
Of these local folk, I'd estimate that about half knew of the planning application already.
These immediately signed, after reading the text, but needed NO further explaining, as they already had made their decision, having been aware of the proposals BEFORE I approached them.
Many of these told me, that their family, neighbours, friends were also against the planning proposals.
So going by my estimate, we could be speaking of about 40 people who signed the petition because they already knew of the planning proposals.
Then there were those who were not aware (local people who know where Western Heights and Farthigloe are), and, having read the text, signed the petition.
I don't think this requires any further explaining or justification on my part as to why they made this decision, they did so of their own accord.
Then there were those from other areas of England, and a Scot, and about ten Canadians and Australians, some of these from South Australia, others from Perth in Western Australia. And two Belgians.
All the tourists who I approached, all signed, about 20% of the total of 100, including some who stated they had come with a coach to see the Regatta.
These Britons, Canadians and Australians, and Belgians, all from further afield, were all happy to sign to keep the Western Heights and Farthingloe, associated to the White Cliffs of Dover, free from urban development.
They were all aware of the numbers of houses and the hotel and conference centre in the text of the petition. And, as tourists, they were NOT aware that DDC has already planned to build 6,000 houses in Whitfield, 1 mile from Dover, and more houses elsewhere (Guston, Sholden...), projects that have already been hotly contested by the local folk!
I didn't even need to explain that to them, just the idea of building houses on Dover's Heights was enough for them to sign the petition.
Is this explanation alright for you, Chris? It is based on sincere facts. On 100 signatures obtained in two hours.
Only one person of those I spoke to, declined to sign on the grounds of being expressly in favour of the development proposal, and two others declined to give their signature because they were undecided, including one of the Labour campaigners next to us who insisted that the number of proposed houses for W.H. AND Farthingloe were 85 in all, having been told this, but I don't know by whom.
He insisted that 700 was the number of rooms in the hotel!
So he didn't sign.
Is this alright for you, Chris, as an account of my two hours near the Town Council offices?
I can't go on repeating myself on this topic time and again.
