Councillor pleased to be appointed to Maze Board

Mr Stewart, who also serves as the Vice Chairman of Lisburn City Council’s Planning Committee, is one of three local men to be appointed to the Board, which will oversee the regeneration of the former prison site.

Local businessman Ken Cleland, who is behind a plan to bring a luxury hotel to Lisburn, and former Assistant Chief Constable Duncan McCausland have also been appointed to the Board.

Mr Stewart said he was pleased to have been appointed.

“I am pleased to have been appointed by the First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness to the Maze/Long Kesh Development Corporation,” said Mr Stewart.

“There is an excellent opportunity to create and maximise the full economic potential of this regeneration site. There will be challenges for the Corporation in this current economic time, however we all must grasp the opportunities such as the regeneration of the site and therefore aid growth and prosperity within our city and indeed for the whole of Northern Ireland.

“I have no doubt that the regeneration of the site will create thousands of jobs and bring much need economic growth to Northern Ireland.

“I want to clearly point out that there will be no shrine at the Maze and indeed the First Minister and Deputy First Minister have clearly said there would be no shrine at this site,” he concluded.