Work starts on The Stop Line Way

Work on the latest phase of the Stop Line Way walking and cycling route has started this week (Monday 8 June).

The one kilometre section which will be developed by Devon County Council over the next 16 weeks, will provide an off-road connection from the cemetery, near Marsh Lane, in Seaton, to Colyford Common near the junction of Seaton Road/Popes Lane, in Colyford.

The route was granted planning permission in September 2011.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said: “This is another important step in the development of The Stop Line Way as it continues to take shape, and this trail is a major asset in Devon’s growing cycle network. When The Stop Line Way is complete it will provide a link which will offer locals and visitors with the opportunity to explore this part of our county, and to walk and cycle safely between towns and villages. This route will also provide better access to Seaton Marsh Local Nature Reserve.”

Councillor Sara Randall Johnson, local County Councillor for Honiton St Michael’s, said: “I’m delighted that work has finally started and I can’t wait for its completion so that I can enjoy my first journey along The Stop Line Way. Thanks must go to the landowners and people of Colyford who have been very supportive of the route and have made it possible. Like them, I also hope that further progress is made as soon as possible.”

Councillor Jim Knight, local County Councillor for Seaton Coastal, said: “It’s great to see this long awaited facility coming to fruition to bring visitors into Seaton and the surrounding villages. It will also provide a safer way of walking to the cemetery that has been long awaited, as there are areas within Seaton that have no pavement. Families will be able to enjoy a morning or day out with the knowledge that their children will be in a safe environment.”

The Stop Line Way is being developed in sections for ease of delivery. Previous sections of the trail which have already been completed are Trafalgar Way, which opened in December 2009, Aldercar under the A35 into Kilmington parish, which has been in use since September 2011, and Cloakham in Axminster to Weycroft in the Axe Valley, which opened in December 2012.

The Stop Line Way is part of the National Cycle Network, Route 33. The proposed route closely follows, and is named after, the Second World War defences built following the evacuation of the Allies from Dunkirk as the Devon and Cornwall coast was considered too long to defend. Many of the concrete pillboxes and anti-tank gun emplacements remain along the line and can be seen from parts of the cycle route.

In Devon, the route stretches from Seaton Promenade to the county boundary passing through Axminster and will be a largely traffic-free footway and cycleway. A key link will be with Axminster Railway station. When complete the trail will form a 70 mile link from the Bristol Channel to Lyme Bay, passing through Devon, Somerset, and Dorset.

Work on the Seaton to Colyford stretch is being carried out by JTT Contracting Ltd.