THERE are fears the wheels have come off proposals for a multi-million pound Teignbridge sports complex, which included a velodrome, in Kingsteignton.

British Cycling, the internationally recognised governing body for cycling in the UK, is concerned that the £20 million project may have been punctured.

It's south west regional secretary, Ken Robertson, said everything had gone quiet and they have been 'left in limbo' since former Devon County councillor John Smith lost his seat in June and was replaced by Cllr Mike Walters.

In August last year, Mr Smith told the Mid-Devon Advertiser that he wanted to 'create a legacy for the people of Devon'.

Mr Robertson said they had a situation where Mr Smith was working hard on the project, but then there was the local election.

'When the new regime came in we thought it would be towards T in the A-Z of priorities, behind education etcetera, so we left it for a few months.

'Then Andrew Parker, who is chairman of Mid-Devon Cycling Club, exercised his right as a Kingsteignton resident to speak to Cllr Walters – but he wasn't very forthcoming, shall we say.

'We are so much in limbo, I can't say much more about it,' he said.

Mr Parker said he spoke to Cllr Walters a few days ago and he was non-commital.

'It would be sad if the project didn't go ahead. The opportunity to have a velodrome does not come around very often.

'The nearest is in Newport so if the council would have a velodrome here, it would be the only one in the south west, which would be quite a coup for Kingsteignton,' said Mr Parker.

Cllr Walters said he was not in a position to comment but a county council statement confirmed that everything was up in the air at this stage.

'This is the subject of a number of feasibility studies which have to be reported to the new administration's Cabinet and a date has yet to be fixed for that report,' the statement added.

Mr Smith, meanwhile, insisted the proposal was not just something he used in a bid to get re-elected.

'The plans were there. The money was there. The commitment from British Cycling was there and the commitment was there from us,' he said.

'County officers at the time also had discussions with all the relevant people, so I would be very cross if it was suggested that it was something I was making false promises about.

'If an attempt is made to say I wasn't committed to the project, I can even show evidence that I was,' he said.

As exclusively revealed in last week's Mid-Devon Advertiser, Kingsteignton Town Council announced plans for a BMX track within its skate park project but Mr Robertson said that will 'slightly muddy' the plan to have one included in the sports complex proposal.

'Kingsteignton can't accommodate two BMX tracks. We don't agree with the town council allocating space for the BMX track and skate park to be together anyway – they attract two different types of people,' he added.