Campaigners are asking landowners to work together to improve the roads between Moretonhampstead and Chagford to make them safer for cyclists as proposals for an off-road route are abandoned due to opposition.

Those behind the Greenway Project, a proposal for laying a cycle-friendly off-road path between Moretonhampstead and Chagford, have decided not to continue following a feasibility study which concluded that due to the level of local opposition, the proposal should not go ahead.

West Devon Borough Councillor and keen supporter of the project Nicky Heyworth, said: ‘The conclusion was that we had to have the support of the local people and we are not going to be able to do the off-road route.

‘It’s disappointing but we made mistakes. Instead we will look at the existing route which currently has a poor surface and gradient for cyclists.

‘I met two farmers who said they would be happy to support making improvements to the road and since Devon County Council is facing serious financial pressures we thought the only way to go forward was to encourage landowners and farmers to work together and take and make the route safer themselves.

‘We can only solve this problem together and the Greenway Project just wishes the next team the best of luck.’

Supporters hoped the Greenway Project would be able to create an environmentally-friendly route between the two towns but faced a lot of opposition from landowners along the proposed route who were concerned about noise levels and the impact the pathway would have on their privacy.