Stalwart stands down
LONG-serving independent borough councillor Mike FitzGerald has an- nounced he will stand down at the May elections. Having completed three terms of of-
fice – 12 years – Cllr FitzGerald has been an active member of the com- munity, wearing many hats – as well as the mayoral chain of office in 2006/07. He is actively involved in a number
of charities and is a trustee of Maid- stone Christian Care and chairman of the trustees of the Fusion healthy living centre in ParkWood. Cllr FitzGerald, who lives with his wife Mau-
reen, in Laxton Drive, Chart Sutton, will be 74 in May but he assured: “I am not retiring – just re- inventing my time.” He said: “I am still in love with village life and
value the people and friendships that have grown and I will continue to support and safeguard all that is good.” One of Cllr FitzGerald’s first claims to fame was
when he organised the first ever World Custard- Pie Throwing Championship in Coxheath in 1967. After a 20-year break, he revived it during
WARDHomes has finally gained planning permission to develop new homes on open space at Penhurst Close, Grove Green. Maidstone Council appeared
to have won a long battle with the developer when a proposal for 14 homes was refused on ap- peal last August. However, at the time planning inspector Eliza- beth Fieldhouse did not object to the principle of the development,
his mayoral year in 2007 and it con- tinues to attractwidespread publicity. He said he had thought long and
hard about his decision to stand down but decided it was time to let a younger person take the reins in order to do justice to the constituents for a further four years. The member for Boughton Mon- chelsea and Chart Sutton said: “I feel lucky and privileged to have served this ward and the wider Maidstone area. It has been an honour and a lot
of enjoyment, meeting people and making friends. Steve Munford, the current chairman of Boughton Monchelsea Parish Council, has al- ready indicated he is prepared to stand as an in- dependent candidate in his place. Cllr FitzGerald said: “He has worked tirelessly to help deliver the ambitions of the parish council, has been a strong chairman since taking office and I believe, if elected, he will make an excellent Maidstone bor- ough councillor. A “stepping down” party with music and en- tertainment is being held by Cllr FitzGerald for in- vited guests on Saturday, March 17, at Boughton Monchelsea Village Hall.
Open space to be developed
and whenWard Homes returned with a scheme for seven dwellings (three three-beds and four two-beds), Maidstone Coun- cil’s planning committee said it was therefore unable to refuse. Planning committee member Cllr Tony Harwood, who is also
a parish councillor for the area, said: “I am a veteran of a num- ber of successful battles in the planning committee over this site, but we may now have lost the war.
“However, it is an honourable capitulation because the scheme we have now is the best that has been in front of us over the years.” The committee voted in favour by 12 votes to one.
Gypsy and traveller
sites are needed MAIDSTONE Council is look- ing to buy land to house a new public gypsy site. The Town & Country Housing Group was recently awarded a £1.3m grant to deliver 15 pub- lic pitches in Maidstone bor- ough by 2015. In a controversial move, the council is asking landowners, agents and public bodies to come forward with sites they know of that could be available for purchase. Thesitesneedtobeatleast
0.5ha, have road access, be rel- atively level and have a named landowner who may be willing to sell. The sites will then be as- sessed against a full range of planning criteria to determine if there are any which could po- tentially be suitable. The provision of planned public gypsy sites is a bid by the council to eradicate spo- radic illegal settlements by the travelling community. Rob Jarman, head of planning
at Maidstone Council, said: “This funding opportunity is a key way to make planned pro- vision for gypsies and trav- ellers.” Details of potential sites, in- cluding a site plan and landowner contact details, should be sent to Mr Jarman at Maidstone House, King Street, Maidstone, ME15 6JQ, by March 9.
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