'You need to like people, have a good sense of humour and a broad back,' Stephen Belli told me, suggesting some of the qualifications not usually found on a planning officer's job description.

Originally from south Wales but a resident of the West Country for the past nine years, Mr Belli has found a warm welcome in Devon, even if his officers' reputation as 'no' merchants hasn't always helped.

Is the less than favourable impression a fair one I wondered?

'The man in the street will say the national park refuses everything,' he replied.

'Whenever I go to town or parish meetings I always ask, what's your best guess about the number of applications we approve and everybody says about 40 or 50 per cent.

'Actually, of the 621 we dealt with last year 92 per cent were approved.

'There are a lot of potential applicants who might not get planning permission and they're always the first to shout about how negative we are and yet all the people who obtain permission or are glad we don't allow huge housing estates, they rarely say to us you're doing a good job.