There are thousands of people across Maidstone who owe her a great debt of gratitude, although probably very few of them realise it.

For years, Dr Felicity Simpson has scrutinised every planning application submitted to the borough council, using her considerable expertise gathered from her rigorous academic training and 16 years’ experience as a Kent county councillor – but now she has stepped down.

Dr Simpson earned a First in geography at Cambridge University and did a PhD in land use studies in the La Trobe Valley, near Melbourne in Australia, before becoming a secondary school teacher, teaching for three years in Gibraltar as well as at both Maidstone Boys’ and Girls’ grammar schools.

Supporting applications where they enhanced the borough, her detailed analyses of the more controversial applications – including the Kent International Gateway – have also helped prevent the borough from being visited with the worst of the planning horrors.

Dr Simpson, 73, of Water Lane, Thurnham, has been a committee member of the Maidstone branch of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England for the past 10 years and its chairman for the past eight, appearing before numerous council planning committees.

Dr Hilary Newport, director of CPRE Protect Kent, said: “Felicity has worked absolutely tirelessly and used her exceptional knowledge of planning regulations for everybody’s benefit. The amount of work she did on KIG for example was phenomenal.”

Dr Simpson said: “I’ve enjoyed my time with CPRE and I’ve had a lot of support from a great many people.”

Stanford John has been elected as the new Maidstone branch chairman.