PLANNERS have approved the change of use of agricultural land to a footpath linking a new estate on the outskirts of Tavistock to Whitchurch village.
It is hoped the decision, which will give residents of the new Redrow homes at the Bishopsmead estate better access to a post office, pub, village hall and nursery schools, will also lead to improvements on the adjoining Anderton Lane, which is a well known rat-run.
Members of West Devon Borough Council's planning committee were told that when people exited the new footpath they would then go along a 'virtual footpath' on Anderton Lane to get to Whitchurch, but this had raised some concerns over safety issues.
Borough councillor Alison Clish-Green, who represents the South West Ward, said recently the idea of a virtual footpath along Anderton Lane, which had become a dangerous rat-run, with vehicles often exceeding the speed limit, was 'a joke'.
She added this was an ideal opportunity to put in a traffic calming measure on the lane with a dedicated footpath beside the road to include a single track, speed bumps or some other measure to slow traffic.
A Devon county council highways spokesman told the committee last month that the authority was hoping to implement improvements to make the road safer.
A footway linking the site to Whitchurch was required as part of the section 106 agreement when Redrow was granted planning permission.
Cllr Dennis Bater said he believed there was a commitment from county highways to get something done on Anderton Lane.
'It's not the case that we would just be throwing people out onto the road,' he said.
'The county is going to put in a give way sign and make the road single track at that point so it will be safer for everyone.'