A £14.5 million bid to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund to build a South Devon Cycleway has been unsuccessful.

The joint bid with Torbay and Devon County Councils was supported by local MPs, community organisations, Network Rail and Torbay Hospital.

It would have resulted in a high-quality cycleway connecting Newton Abbot, Kingskerswell and Torbay which would also have linked the Bay into the National Cycle Network.

The aims was to provide safe travel networks on the most used commuter routes through Teignbridge and Torbay as well as providing travel choices to Newton Abbot rail station and the upcoming Edginswell rail station.

In their latest newsletter Teignbridge Council says: ‘But despite the benefits that would have flowed from the cycleway’s implementation, the scheme was not one of those announced by the government that would get a share of the £2.1 billion from round two of the government’s Levelling Up Fund.

‘The fund was oversubscribed with 529 bids submitted totalling £8.8 billion.

‘Teignbridge was in the lowest category set by the Levelling Up Fund for financial support so while disappointing to have been unsuccessful, the odds were stacked against us.

‘We will continue to look for funding to build both the South Devon Cycleway and the Teign Estuary.’