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A campaigner who did much to protect Kent from the worst adverse effects of unconstrained development has died.
Gary Thomas passed away in Maidstone Hospital on Tuesday last week after suffering a stroke.
Mr Thomas was 85.
Although born in Hampton Hill, in Middlesex, he moved first to Boxley and then to Hunton.
He was chairman of Boxley Parish Council at the time when the Channel Tunnel Rail link was being built and as a leading member of the North Downs Rail Concern group was instrumental in the campaign to reduce the environmental impact of the line.
But he still found time to serve as Maidstone Borough Councillor throughout the 1970s.
After moving to Hunton in 1996, he served for 18 years on Hunton Parish Council, three as chairman, stepping down from that role in 2018. He was still a councillor at the time of his death.
He also had a long association with the Campaign To Protect Rural England (CPRE) and was chairman of its Maidstone branch.
As such, he lent his planning expertise to many campaigns in the area and was a witness at countless planning inquiries.
He was always particularly keen to stress the need for the authorities to look after the quality of life of existing residents, before starting new large scale developments.
He played a big part in the planning inquiry into the Kent International Gateway proposed near Junction 8 of the M20, which resulted in victory for the StopKIG side in 2010, when the Secretary of State ruled against the proposal.
He also played a key role opposing the subsequent proposed development at Woodcut Farm, just west of Junction 8, though this time unsuccessfully.
He made many submissions to Maidstone Borough Council on aspects of its Core Strategy and later the Local Plan, and presented evidence to the inspector at the Local Plan Examination.
Mary Richards, former secretary to the Bearsted and Thurnham Society said: "Gary was a good friend to the parishes of Bearsted and Thurnham and the borough as a whole. He worked tirelessly on many campaigns and was very well respected for his work over many years as a Maidstone borough councillor. He was a thoroughly decent man and will be greatly missed."
He had studied mechanical sciences at Selwyn College, Cambridge, and while still there worked for Napiers on the Blue Streak rocket.
He then joined BEA (British European Airways) where, among other things, he designed the baggage handling system at Heathrow Airport.
Work as a management consultant for PA brought him to Maidstone, and he was subsequently chief engineer at Bowater Scott.
He had many other interests.
While at Cambridge, he became a qualified pilot and continued to log many flying hours when working at BEA. He liked aerobatics and could execute a decent barrel roll.
He was a keen vegetable gardener, enjoyed restoring old cars and liked to construct garden buildings. His family said he always had some project on the go.
His son Paul said: "Dad approached everything he did with enthusiasm, knowledge and passion.
"He never stopped learning new things - including trying skateboarding at the age of 85!
"His work in the community was always driven by a desire to make the world a better place."
Mr Thomas leaves Sylvia, his wife of 50 years, son Paul and daughter Laura, and five grandchildren.
He had another son, Giles, who died in 1992.
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