Lynton and Barnstaple - Operations and Development

First part - an awful lot of excavation work, but at what cost and with what benefit?

Second part - presence of engines or not is totally irrelevant to the issue of trapping, and to what law are you referring?

As it happens, there are discussions in progress about possible practical solutions how to tackle this issue....

 

Read Colin's original post and then my amendment.

 

I think we are still waiting to hear.

 

Listening to the grapevine, I heard that the whole planning process was being put through the wringer. If you then go to the Exmoor Park planning portal, it appears some people are opposed to any extension again

 

As we saw with the previous application, and with the application at Blythburgh, some neighbours will be adamantly opposed to any application. The law is quite prescriptive about what constitute valid objections under planning law, and not all of those objections will have any force.

What then matters is whether any of the objections are valid, and how well the application addresses them.

Given the area, the previous planning history, and the sensitivity, it's reasonable to expect that the process will be followed to the letter to ensure that, whatever the outcome, it sticks and is "lawyer proof".

It has been good to see effort made to engage with the local community on the CFL extension, and I hope those efforts serve the railway well.

 

I agree with @35B Anyone can put anything they like on a planning-portal consultation comment. That doesn't necessarily make it relevant in terms of Planning Policy & Law. As I used to say, back in the days when I dealt with local authority consultations, "a consultation is not a referendum".

 

The L&BR Trust have installed a museum display cabinet inside the tearoom at Woody Bay featuring a small display including original L&B tablets, tools, signs, and documents. The L&BR website article indicates that this new display will hopefully be the first step to create a proper museum.

Click below to view the news article including 3 pictures of the display........

https://www.lynton-rail.co.uk/news/view/woody-bay-museum-display​

 

I heard this was coming.....

Apart from being a long-over due and welcome feature, I hope it will not be too long before we get a proper full catalogue of all of the Trust's historical records and artefacts, ideally available online with suitable search facility.

 

It would be good is to see a Heritage Asset Secretary appointed. As you say, Chris, I am not sure who has what, but I think any of the following will have a better understanding of what is where and what we have:- David Tooke, Tony Nicholson, Paul Gower, Keith Vingoe, and not forgetting Michael Bishop.

 

Unfortunatley, "hope" is not a failsafe strategy.

 

There was a museum working group set up last year which I was part of, one of the aims was to produce a propper assest register. I'm not sure what the current situation is, as after a burst of activity it all went very quiet. But at least having some stuff on display is a step in the right direction.

 

As far as i am aware trustee Rob Prosser is in the process of putting together an asset register for all of the artifacts

 

Whilst a display case is a nice touch to help explain the history of the railway you would have thought the sign and nameplates behind and to the side of the case would have been positioned elsewhere beforehand

 

I understand that glass cabinet is in a temporary spot until it is moved to more suitable permanent place.

 

Just received email notification from Exmoor Planning Department, of a site visit from Killington Lane to Cricket Field Lane, on 25th April - in advance of the application being considered at the Planning Committee on 6th May.

 

I would assume that the Agenda for the 6th May meeting will include a report from the Planning Officers with a recommendation. This is how it works for our local District Council.

 

Having a look at the pictures, where most can be identified:
Fred Kidwell's track gauge inherited from his platelaying Kidwell father and uncle
Guards Log for 1933, apparently belonging to Arthur Bishop Passmore (no relation). A fascinating relic which was rescued by Mr Coppleston purchaser of the coach at Clannaborough and was on the luggage rack in the 60s. Thank goodness the owner said a visitor could keep it for it would probably have disappeared by now. It details the rolling stock on each train, and vehicles added and taken off. He seems to have run a lottery for the staff ! There was another of 1930 from an Exeter-based guard which used to be in the signal box museum at Barnstaple Town Station.
Garnish rail from coach 2466, an open centre.
Two gate penalty notices.
An issue of Newnes's magazine Titbits.
A display about London Jack, the collecting dog. (see the latest magazine)
A drivers log from c1900/01.
Poster board enamel header.
Door knob from a first compartment internal door ie 6991, possibly 3 and 4 until removed when converted to thirds. 6992 at York has them.
SR uniform badge.
and a couple of other things. Not sure about the red painted penalty notice.

 

According to the web-site report there is supposed to be at least one of the 7A tablets in the display, but I can't spot any to see which one(s)....

 

One is definitely WOODA BAY TO LYNTON, the other could be CHELFHAM TO BLACKMOOR, certainly a round hole and a slot.

 

According to the Companies House website a further £116,000 of B shares in the L & B Blackmoor Company were allotted in 2024. I wonder why this was necessary, unless to replace the repayments of the private loan (and maybe the £25,000 annual repayment to the Trust not paid in cash). Surely not the reconstruction of the railway which would be born by the Trust. Of course there is no information as to who they were issued to as yet. One assumes at least partially to the Trust. These £1 B shares now total 1427783, plus the A shares of 50,000.