Cllr Chris Clarance, of Marine Parade, Shaldon, writes:

As I came in for a certain amount of criticism in last week's paper over the subject of the cycle/pedestrian path from Newton to Teignmouth, I felt it important that I should respond.

I was saddened to note that Cllr Terry Falcao should have written such a letter. Had he attended the informative stakeholders meeting, held at Bitton House at 6pm on March 16, chaired by Cllr James McMurray with myself present, plus a fellow councillor of his own political persuasion, he would have had a real grasp of the issue.

Indeed if Cllr Falcao also cares to read the article written by John Ware in the paper, that may help him to grasp the up-to-date facts.

The cycle path is very much on track, being a top priority of Devon County Council. Indeed the budgets put in place by the old lib dem-led DCC regime haven't been touched. There is £3.06 million in the budget to 2013 to get the cycle way from Newton railway station and the Kingsteignton link to the Passage House Inn. this stretch is known as Connect 2.

There is, untouched by the Conservatives in the county's budget plans, again put in place by the lib dems, a further £1.3 million to invest in Devon – money better known as airport money, the county having sold the Exeter Airport. So having got further ahead with the planning of getting the cycle route to the Passage House Inn, both James McMurray and myself have requested that the next bit of the link should be to get the cycle way certainly to Bishopsteignton while continuing the planning stage all the way to Teignmouth, as the final link.

From the Passage House to Teignmouth isn't an easy engineering project, from what we are being told by Graham Cornish, DCC project officer, involving probably some no doubt expensive compulsory purchase of land to achieve the project.

A quick insight, from just one small part of the route. It comes easily out of Teignmouth, behind the docks, probably going then on to boardwalks on the foreshore, until it gets to Salcombe Dip railway arch, where it goes under the railway line. A coffer dam is needed maybe to keep the arch dry? Plus how do we get off the Teignmouth /Shaldon Bridge to join the route?

all this needs to be planned and costed. thus to be highly critical at this stage, when I pointed out that there was only £1.3million put in the budget to achieve this I believe is very harsh.

So to Cllr Terry Falcao I say: yes, I know the cost of what's in the budget.

I do not know the cost of everything, which has yet still to be established. will £1.3 million cover this stretch?

Come to future meetings, Cllr Falcao, hear the progress updates from Graham Cornish and let's see what we can achieve.THIS AND OTHER LETTERS IN OUR ONLINE EDITION