{"id":65790,"date":"2025-03-24T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/?p=65790"},"modified":"2025-03-26T11:34:51","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T11:34:51","slug":"a-fitting-tribute-to-dawlishs-blossoming-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/a-fitting-tribute-to-dawlishs-blossoming-history\/","title":{"rendered":"A fitting tribute to Dawlish\u2019s blossoming history"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The name of the new bridge over Shutterton Brook in Dawlish was unveiled today (Monday 24 March 2025) marking a significant milestone in providing the homes and infrastructure needed to support the growing local community.\u202f\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devon County Council and Teignbridge District Council, supported by Homes England, have worked in partnership to deliver the bridge and a new link road, which connects the A379 by Sainsbury\u2019s to more than 400 new homes at Secmaton Farm and Swan Park (Areas 3 and 4), while also providing access to approximately 400 new homes at Gatehouse Farm (Area 2).\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u00a36.2 million project has been funded by \u00a34.9 million in government grants and \u00a31.3 million in developer contributions. A final section of road within Area 2 is being delivered by housing developers, completing the link road and connecting the A379 to Elm Grove Road. A shared path for walkers and cyclists will also be delivered by developers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting in summer 2025, all construction traffic will use the new link road to access these housing development sites, actively reducing traffic on Elm Grove Road.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new bridge and link road are key steps in linking 860 new homes directly to the A379 Exeter Road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dawlish Town Council chose the name for the new bridge, naming it \u2018Sweet Violets Bridge\u2019 to commemorate Dawlish\u2019s historic violet industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The name reflects the important role these flowers played in the local economy in the early 20th\u00a0century, when the growing and transportation of sweet violets became a thriving business in the area, providing employment and independence to ex-servicemen after the First World War.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to the \u2018violet train\u2019 that ran daily from Cornwall to London, freshly picked violets were transported from Dawlish station to Covent Garden, making them a preferred option over imported French flowers. The bridge\u2019s name serves as a lasting tribute to this once-vibrant industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information on the link road and bridge, please visit Devon County Council\u2019s website.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":65791,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[986],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-roads-and-transport"],"acf":[],"featured_image":{"ID":65791,"title":"Dawlish new bridge Violets Bridge newspage","alt":"An aerial view of the new bridge over Shutterton Brook in Dawlish","description":"","caption":"Aerial view of the new bridge over Shutterton Brook in 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