Liberal Democrats secure 'green light' for Boniface trail
Devon County Council has welcomed the confirmation of over £13 million in funding from Active Travel England to support walking and cycling schemes, with delivery linked to the new Devon & Torbay Combines County Authority from April 2026.
This is great news for the Boniface Trail (Crediton Exeter) which was given a green light go ahead at the January 14th Cabinet meeting of Devon County Council. The route largely follows the A377, except for the section of trail between Newton St. Cyres and Langford, where it follows a ‘Quiet Lanes’ route for a short section, before rejoining the A377 and then onto Exeter St Davids.
At the Cabinet meeting the Council was urged by local County Councillors and community representatives to make the earliest possible start on the easy phases. The Cabinet unanimously supported the recommendations to endorse the route and to commence negotiations with landowners.
In 2024 public consultation was made on two different routes - A377 or Quiet Lanes. While there was overwhelming support for the trail there was no majority support given to either option with a balanced split between both. This outcome has led to this proposal which now costed circa £15.5m (2025 prices) without any land purchase, ecology or inflation.
The purpose of the Devon Cabinet report is to endorse the preferred route and approve the start of negotiation on land acquisition. Liberal Democrat County Councillor (Creedy, Taw, Mid Exe) Steve Keable said, “For members of the Boniface Trail Association this has been a 30-year mission, and the rewards of their tenacity are arriving. Jim Cairney and I as the local County Councillors have been consulting with community groups including the Sustainable Crediton, the Trail Group, Newton St Cyres Parish Council and Crediton Town Council”.
Liberal Democrat County Councillor (Crediton) Jim Cairney said,” We have worked together as a community to get this project started, so the A377 becomes a much safer place for walkers and cyclists. There is much work to be done. The boost of government funding through Active Travel England is a great help.”
Councillor Jacqi Hodgeson, Devon County Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Bio-diversity, said, “This funding commitment from Active Travel England is very welcome. As it covers the next four years it provides certainty of funding over a longer period, which will enable these really important infrastructure projects to be planned and delivered more effectively, opening more opportunities for safer walking and cycling throughout the county.”
Nick Dyer, Chair Boniface Trail Association said, "The unanimous decision of Cabinet to endorse the A377 alignment option and approve commencement of acquisition procedures is most welcome, and we are most grateful for the hard work put in by all involved, and in particular Councillors Jim Cairney and Steve Keable, in achieving this outcome. We look forward to helping this exciting project in any way we can."
