Estuary trail gets £1.45m for new section

The trail connects Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton to Dawlish

A walking, wheeling and cycling trail along the Teign Estuary is getting a £1.45m investment from Devon County Council and Teignbridge District Council.

The funding will go towards designing and buying a new 1.7-mile (3km) section of the trail between the Passage House Inn at Kingsteignton, and Bishopsteignton.

But "significant" funding is still needed, said councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council cabinet member with responsibility for cycling.

The trail connects Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton to Dawlish.

The county council is providing £900,000 of the funding, with Teignbridge District Council providing £550,000, the authorities said.

Hughes said council teams would be "working hard to get this next section shovel ready but significant external funding will be needed to deliver this and the other remaining sections of the trail".

Councillor Ron Peart, county councillor for Kingsteignton and Teign Estuary, said the funding would enable progress on design and land purchase.

"A significant amount funding will still be needed but this is a step in the right direction," he said.