Tributes have been paid to a well-known architect who helped shape his home town.

Local government officer and Gravesend resident Martin McKay has died of cancer at the ellenor Hospice, Northfleet, at the age of 60.

A popular and highly active member of the local community, he was well-known for his tireless campaigning activities for the civic society, Urban Gravesham, for more than 10 years.

Martin was a proud Scot; the eldest of four children, he was born in Edinburgh in 1961 and spent most of his childhood and early adulthood in Scotland, although the family spent four years from 1969 in Suva, the capital of Fiji, where Martin’s father was the hospital’s consultant radiologist.

As a boy, Martin’s favourite activity was climbing a particularly tall mango tree in the McKay garden.

This early display of fearless climbing was to continue into Martin’s adult life when he became an enthusiastic mountain climber and hill walker, mainly in Scotland, where he completed the Munros in 2008, but also in the Swiss and Julian Alps, the Dolomites and Poland.

Martin studied at the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture at Aberdeen University where he gained a BSc in architecture.

He then moved to London where he worked for a firm of architects in Putney but returned to Scotland in the mid-1980s where he studied for a Masters degree in town planning at Edinburgh College of Art and this was followed by a year of travelling and living in the United States.

Martin worked as a planner for Crawley council and moved to Gravesend in 1996, which remained his home for the rest of his life, to take up the post of urban designer in the planning department of Gravesham council where he worked for several years.

During this time Martin worked closely with then-councillor Jonathan Clay, and together they created a plan to stitch back the historic character of the town into new development.

They and also helped rescue the Town Pier, threatened with demolition, the reinstatement of the colonnade around Gravesend Clocktower and the rebuilding of the lost and derelict 18th century buildings to recreate Gravesend’s old High Street leading to the river.

This work culminated in 2001 with Gravesham winning a national award for town centre regeneration based on the recognition of its historic character.

Throughout the rest of his life Martin continued an active involvement in the protection of Gravesham’s historic character through voluntary work as a local resident.

As a founder member of Urban Gravesham, the Civic Society for Gravesend and Northfleet, he took on the role of vice-chairman and was said to provide "steadfast and bold leadership" particularly when the town was faced with a proposal to build a 30-storey tower of flats on St Andrew’s Gardens, the only remaining public open space on the town centre riverside.

After a lengthy fight, Urban Gravesham’s campaign against these proposals led to a withdrawal of the tower plan by the developers and following a public inquiry the gardens were designated a town green and are now protected as a public open space.

He also organised and led weekend walks around London, which drew on his historical and architectural knowledge and always culminated in a visit to a historic pub.

When Martin left Gravesham council he joined Medway Council’s Urban Design and Conservation Team and kick-started the regeneration of the Chatham Intra area through his authorship of the Star Hill to Sun Pier planning and design strategy, which was adopted by the council in 2004.

He wrote numerous conservation appraisals and design guides which have shaped Medway’s development over two decades.

Following 10 years at Medway Council he worked full-time for Southwark Council, established his own heritage and planning consultancy and was a visiting critic and lecturer at the University of Kent.

Apart from his professional life, Martin enjoyed a hectic social life. He was well-read and maintained a lively interest in politics, history, music and art – his mother, Margaret is an accomplished painter and he proudly displayed her work on the walls of his Gravesend home.

Martin’s energy and love of the outdoors were reflected not only in his love of mountain climbing and hill walking but also in his love of cycling, sailing and rowing.

He owned a small sailing boat and would spend spare time on the Thames and the Medway rivers. He was keen to share these skills and was a patient and enthusiastic teacher to complete novices.

"I am enormously proud that Martin, as a conservation and heritage architect, made a difference to his adopted home..."

Martin McKay’s funeral will be held at 3pm on Wednesday, April 20 at Thames View Crematorium, Gravesend Road, Chalk.

All friends and colleagues are welcome to attend and donations can be made in his memory to The Mountain Bothies Association, a Scottish charity which provides emergency shelter to mountaineers and walkers, a cause dear to Martin’s heart.

Martin’s brother, Peter McKay, said: “I am enormously proud that Martin, as a conservation and heritage architect, made a difference to his adopted home in making it a more pleasant and better place to live and visit.

In place of his beloved mountains, Martin loved to walk throughout Kent and no visit from any family member would be complete without a guided tour through the countryside or around some of his conservation projects such as the historic Chatham Dockyard.

"He was a wonderful uncle to my children Katie and Hugo, being extraordinarily generous with his limited time with them. I take great comfort speaking with Martin’s many friends and colleagues who unanimously confirm that he was a much admired and loved man."

"He could make friends wherever he went and had so many – people warmed to him..."

Long-standing friend Barbara Lowden said: “Martin was a good friend to me and we had so many good times together.

"He loved life and had such enthusiasm and joy, his mantra was: ‘You’ve got to enjoy it’ along with ‘To rest is not to conquer’. He could make friends wherever he went and had so many – people warmed to him.

"He was generous, thoughtful and loved his family so much. He will be profoundly missed.”

Jonathan Clay, former councillor, chairman of Urban Gravesham and friend, said: “Martin dedicated himself to providing advice and support on planning and architecture to local people. As well as being a sad and irreplaceable loss to the communities that relied on his expertise and authoritative knowledge of the town, Gravesend will miss his important contribution to local planning and conservation.

"I will miss not only his ability to cut through to the important issues and the breadth of his understanding of the planning system, but, most of all, his very good company, his optimism and his sense of humour.”

"I take great comfort speaking with Martin’s many friends and colleagues who unanimously confirm that he was a much admired and loved man...”

Friend and colleague Fran Toomey said: “Martin approached his work with generosity of spirit, humour and a passion that reflected his deep and detailed understanding of the aesthetics and spatial concepts of buildings and their surrounds.

"He will be greatly missed as a colleague and a friend, but that is tempered by the knowledge that his beneficial influence on our built environment will be felt for many years to come."

Former Urban Gravesham secretary Sue Couves said: "I was very sad to learn of the loss of Martin. He really was an old-school “gentleman”. Although quietly-spoken, he had an authoritative voice that made people listen and respect his opinions.

"I remember telling him my brother had recently moved to Scotland to a small village named Dornoch and Martin’s face lit up as he waxed lyrical about Inverness, Tain, Golspie and other places he was so familiar with.

"He assured me that my brother would love Scotland and its friendly people – and my brother did. Martin worked so hard for Urban Gravesham, and the people of Gravesham should be grateful for what he achieved in the town. Bless him.”

MP for Gravesham, Adam Holloway, said: “ Martin McKay.....most of us have very specific ideas about how things should be in our local area, but most of us have no idea how to fight to get there. Unlike the rest of us, Martin knew what needed to be done in terms of conservation and new build – to make the future better and to protect the past.

"It is a disaster for his family that he has died, but also for Gravesend future, past and present. He was a fabulous man.”

Former Urban Gravesham member Gill Emerson said: “Martin’s unfailing kindness, good humour, and optimistic outlook on life, even in the worst of circumstances, were a rare combination.

"His sociable nature and many interests made him great company. He never took the soft or easy option in anything but devoted himself wholeheartedly to whatever he wanted to do.

"He was the best of men, and a very dear friend; I was lucky to know him and will always remember the joyful times with him.”

"His sociable nature and many interests made him great company..."

Urban Gravesham member Peers Carter said: “Martin was one of those people who you took to right away. And your first instinct turned out to be correct.

"Knowledgeable, subtly witty and wise, he would persevere with patience and understanding however strong the headwind. Why an evident Scot from Inverness would dedicate so much of his reserves of good nature and insight to dear old benighted Gravesend both mystified and amazed us all.

"It was a great privilege to have known this paragon and example of what a man should be. Thank you Martin from one who knew and admired you.”

Neege Allen, founder of the Gravesend Futures group, said: “Over the last few years Martin was part of the Gravesend Futures, supported campaigns to help restore part of Rosherville Gardens and providing input to improve major urban redevelopment proposals from Northfleet West to east of Gravesend Marina.

"Latterly, he was a key part of of the successful joint campaign with Windmill Hill Residents' Association, to block the demolition of the former Gurdwara building in Clarence Place and freeing the building up for refurbishment into a unique, place-enriching multi-residence.

"He is sadly missed, as a campaigner and friend.”