Hampshire County Council’s countryside services department is preparing to complete the final section of the route - between Whitehill and Bordon and Liss - at a cost of £220,000.
The aim is to open this section next year, using a combination of existing and new paths including some new on-road and off-road cycle routes through Whitehill and Bordon, due to be completed in early 2016.
Working in partnership with the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the plan is to construct a new bridleway running parallel to the A325. As a bridleway, this path will always remain open - even during military training at Longmoor - and is for walkers, cyclists and horseriders.
Cath Hart, the county council’s countryside access development officer, said: “Cyclists and horse-riders currently do not have access to this land so this would represent significant new access, thanks to the support of the MoD.”
In finalising the exact route and path design, countryside services has taken into account the recommendations of three reports into aspects of conservation, a tree survey, archaeological survey, landscape assessment, the location of a gas pipeline and the training requirements of the MoD.
The county council has formally decided to accept the bridleway dedication and a planning application has just been submitted to the South Downs National Park Authority, seeking permission to construct the path on the ground.
It is aimed to use existing cycle routes and pavements through Greatham, as well as using Greatham bridleway 11, which takes users southwards towards Liss Forest and crosses the A3 by bridge, a path which may require some surface and drainage work. Dr John Tough, who lives at Griggs Green, is disappointed with the decision.
He said: “It is a great shame that the section of the Shipwrights Way over Weavers Down will only be part of a link to Liphook.
“It is a long section entirely off-road and through heathland when most of the new route will be on or alongside a road making it most inappropriate for a multipurpose walking, cycling and horseriding path.
“Avoiding Weavers Down makes the whole section a bit pointless, as I thought the MoD had agreed that it could run alongside the perimeter track between Hollywater and Griggs Green.”
District councillor Bill Mouland (Bramshott and Liphook) added: “I agree 100 per cent with John Tough and have made my views plain to Sarah Hobbs at the district council.
“It is a feeble conclusion and a colossal waste of public money - £220,000 - to build a path parallel to one which already exists just to satisfy MoD bureaucracy.
“The MoD, by the way, has fenced off the gate by which people coming over the A3 footbridge south of Liphook Services used to gain access to the Long-moor perimeter track.
“Meanwhile, I suggest we rename the Weavers Down to Liphook section and call it Flora Thompson Way or something similar.”
But Ms Hart said both she and the steering group shared their thoughts on the desirability of the Bordon to Weavers Down route, with David Deane having worked to achieve this.
“Unfortunately, there were numerous challenges, but primarily it relied on permission from several different landowners in addition to the MoD, not all of whom in the end gave that permission,” she said.
“The route would have been permissive only, and so could have been withdrawn, with an alternative available in the definitive (permanent) A325 bridleway, this would have been acceptable, but as the only route the steering group judged that it was not.”
The countryside access development officer added: “In the meantime Bordon’s population is due to increase by around 8,000 and at the same time training is increasing on the ranges, which together is likely to give rise to more conflict.
“As it stands, cyclists and horseriders have no permission to use the land at all, and walkers only when it is not needed for training.
“From Mr Mouland’s comment about the gated bridge and similar comments from local cyclists, it is clear that the MoD is asserting its rights as landowner, due to increased training requirements.
“Therefore, it is important that we should proceed in providing a permanent, always open route for walkers, cyclists and horseriders.
“We have worked with the MoD to find a route parallel to the A325 which will be attractive, which won’t interfere with training and which will complete the Shipwrights Way.
“It will be around 20 metres from the road for most of its length, screened from the road by existing trees.
“I would agree that it is not as attractive as the route to Weavers Down but I hope that this conveys the reasons why this course of action has been taken.
“Should the Bordon to Weavers Down route become feasible in the future then I am sure that the partners would want to revisit this.”
Last year, the Shipwrights Way sculpture of a nightjar was stolen from Broxhead Common near Bordon.
This has been recovered and reinstated after a local farmer looked after it.
The name Shipwrights Way reflects the use of oak grown at Alice Holt Forest for Tudor shipbuilding, linking this site with Portsmouth. Starting from Alice Holt, the route passes through Bordon, Liphook, Liss, Petersfield, Queen Elizabeth Country Park, Staunton Country Park, Havant, Hayling Island and continues to Portsmouth via the ferry, finishing at the Historic Dockyard.