Water company praised over Totnes cycle path

'We really want to see it become a reality'

South West Water has been praised at Westminster for its role in making a Devon ‘missing link’ cycle path possible.

The company is planning to build a solar farm on the outskirts of Totnes and is seeking planning permission for the scheme to begin.

As part of the project, a cycle path will be laid through the site, completing a National Cycle Network route and linking the village of Littlehempston to Totnes with a traffic-free path.

Local campaigners have been pushing for the path for decades, and there were cheers and applause when a recent South Hams council meeting came out in favour of the new path.

Now South Devon’s Liberal Democrat MP Caroline Voaden has raised it during a debate on road safety and active travel to school.

She told fellow MPs: “Imagine being 14, 15 or 16 and being stuck in a rural village. For rural kids, bikes mean freedom. We have to make it easier to create cycle paths alongside dangerous rural roads, so that kids can have the freedom to travel independently.

“On that note, I would like—surprisingly—to do a shout-out for South West Water. After 20 years of campaigning by local councillors and a very committed group of activists, South West Water has finally agreed to put a cycle path through that solar farm.

“We have not quite got it over the line yet, but I am putting on the record today that we really want to see it become a reality. It will link to Totnes a village that is just a few miles away, giving people there the ability to cycle into town safely, thereby cutting down on the amount of traffic coming into our small rural town.”

Mrs Voaden said such cycle routes are vital in rural areas where roads are dangerous.

She went on: “They connect communities, allow people to avoid dangerous roads and provide a safe option for healthy active travel, which is so important for health and wellbeing as well as the environment.”

During the debate she also praised the work of local cycling champion and youth mentor Jon Oliverio.

“We need more people like Jon,” she said.