The Road to Nowhere: Broken Promises in the Bovey Basin

Back in 2013, Sibelco persuaded Devon County Council to approve a controversial realignment of the B3193 road. The argument? That by diverting the road and destroying woodland, they would unlock huge clay reserves and secure 50 years of resources and employment for local people.

The price of that deal was high. Two large copses of mature oak and mixed woodland – thriving habitats with a large bat colony – were felled to make way for the new road. At the time, campaigners were told this sacrifice was essential “progress,” a one-off trade for half a century of stability and jobs.

Twelve Years Later: The Truth Exposed

Now, just 12 years on, the truth is clear. The promises have crumbled. Far from delivering security for 50 years, Sibelco is already pressing for yet more deforestation, pushing into the Zitherixon woodland to keep feeding its clay pits.

What does that mean? It means those mature oak trees that were destroyed were never really valued. They were just collateral damage in an offshore company’s relentless drive for profit.

The Lies of “50 Years of Progress”

• The “50 years” was never guaranteed jobs. Modern quarrying is highly mechanised – far fewer workers are employed now than in the 1970s.

• The promise of stability was a smokescreen. Within little more than a decade, Sibelco is back demanding more land, more woodland, more destruction.

• The community’s loss – two copses of mature trees and the peace of the countryside – was permanent. The company’s promise was temporary at best, deceptive at worst.

A Pattern of Greed

This is not about local jobs anymore. It is about a multinational company maximising its profits while our countryside pays the price. Each expansion is justified as the one that will “secure the future” – but the future never arrives. Instead, residents face an endless cycle of dust, lorries, noise, flooding, and deforestation.

The Bottom Line

In 2013, we were told that destroying two copses of woodland was a necessary sacrifice for 50 years of progress. In 2025, we can see the reality: those promises were lies. The trees are gone forever, and the community is left with nothing but more quarrying demands.

This is the road to nowhere – a symbol of broken promises, environmental loss, and the greed of an offshore company that values Devon’s clay more than Devon’s people or its landscape.

We must stop them before the next woodland falls.