Tributes have been paid after the death of the East Devon Alliance’s Honorary President Ian McKintosh.

The party has now paid tribute to the 80-year-old Ottery resident who died on June 4.

After a distinguished legal career during which he worked as a circuit judge in Cornwall and Devon, Ian retired to East Devon, where he became deeply involved in local issues.

He was particularly concerned by changes in the planning system, which he felt had moved from protecting the environment and the wildlife, which he cherished, to facilitating large-scale development that was not always necessary.

After joining a mass-march in Sidmouth in November 2012 to protest against planning decisions that threatened public parks and the East Devon Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in February 2013 he became a founder member and chairman of the EDA – a role he carried out with his usual verve, commitment and good sense.

Ian combined a burning passion for transparency, integrity and justice, with an impish sense of humour and a cheerful sociability towards everyone he met.

His colleagues in EDA benefited enormously from his invaluable legal advice, which he gave unstintingly, particularly his contribution to a series of detailed submissions by EDA to parliamentary committees on such topics as scrutiny and ethics in local government.

At meetings, his wise advice was often enlivened by anecdotes and reminiscences, so time-keeping was not always scrupulously observed.

As well as his commitment to EDA, Ian also became a founder-member and trustee of Community Voice on Planning, a national group bringing together more than 100 organisations from all over the country.

He travelled widely to meet and share ideas with other campaigners for more democracy in the planning system.

Ian also found the time and energy to throw himself wholeheartedly into the struggle to preserve local hospitals from closure

An EDA spokeswoman said: “He was a tireless fighter, bringing wisdom from a wide life experience. His colleagues in EDA thoroughly enjoyed working with him and will miss him immensely.”