Lineside Veg........

Then why buy a house next to a railway.

 

Because the choices (area/price/schools/size) may be limited?

 

Still bought knowing there is a railway near by,

I live next to a railway and it doesn't bother me, if they don't like it they should sell up and move, the railways were here before all of us.

 

I had also heard that there had been problems but a bit confused by your report. I have not been there since last years ASG but then the only houses were on the west side of the line. Are there now houses on the east side as you say you were on the down side opposite the new houses and the down side of course is towards Loughborough.
If we are all talking about the houses on the west side (Trinity Gardens) then the site plan seems to imply the site finished at what was the bottom of the bank from Lodge End (the road over the railway) as shown on the plans lodges with the application to Charnwood Borough Council.
https://pap.charnwood.gov.uk/AnitePublicDocs/00039457.pdf
Of course there may be supplementary planning I am unaware of.

 

I can think of a number of reasons why the implications of the railway may not have been known or appreciated, and where I wouldn't necessarily blame the searches.

None of which excuses the sort of behaviour reported.

 

Cannot think of anything myself with regards to the GCR. Would like your thoughts. My thoughts are, sorry but if a person invests what is a large amount of money in a property they really should do their research or take the consequences. It is not as if the railway sprung up overnight.

Few years back new estate built right next to a holding loop near me. Heavy freights all through the night loop there. 66s ying yinging as they wait for a path. First summer lots of residents complained because they couldn't keep their windows open. Railway authorities basically said tough.

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Apologies for the confusion. When I say opposite, I meant the houses directly in front of us on the west side of the bank beside the Down line, as you say the Trinity Gardens estate. Those plans do indeed raise a very good question as to the legitimacy of erecting the fence on what I assume to be council land and not part of the estate, though I'm certainly not up for debating it with the homeowners without law enforcement present!

It is a shame the GCR seemingly have no leverage in this situation, as they've inferred in that letter the council will take the side of the residents, though I'm not one to often give the railway the benefit of the doubt. As for development on the Up side of the line, I'm sure it's only a matter of time...

 

My comment relates to the intensity of traffic at an event, and especially the level of photographic interest. I visited for this autumn's gala, for the first time in a while, and was taken aback by the scale of development and proximity to the track. I'd be happy to live there, but suspect my wife would veto it...

For someone without interest in railways, and being told "it's a steam railway", the practical implications of this when living there may not be obvious or especially easy to research - especially if you don't know what questions to ask. And as these are new houses, the options of asking the vendor or knocking on doors to find out "are they a good neighbour" aren't so straightforward. It's like where I grew up (Southfields, SW London). A nice quiet neighbourhood for 50 weeks per year, but utter chaos for Wimbledon fortnight. But not something that it would be obvious to ask, or would (on most streets) come up in a search.

 

Same as all those folks who buy something in Wandsworth or Putney and then complain about aircraft from 0430. It is called do your research before parting with your (or the building society) money.

 

Hmm ! This is England - You would have to live in a complete vacuum to not be aware of the national interest in railways and in steam railways -- how can you avoid the media coverage when Scotsman brings the network to a halt. Naivety may be excused to a degree but only so far.

 

I suggest that a joint approach by all those threatened to the Police might push things along a bit

 

Further research to the findings of @Gladiator 5076 on Charnwood Council's website has revealed that a small but distinct part of the bank, which is used by photographers, is indeed marked as council owned and part of the land leased to the GCR. I found no evidence of planning permission for a fence on the council's website for the given postcode, meaning this fence must surely have been put up illegally by a resident so angry that people dare overlook his home that he's willing to ignore the law to prevent them. I would gladly present these findings to the council and GCR should any further incursions take place between enthusiasts and this homeowner, and see if they hold any weight.

 

To answer your question, yes they probably are earning money from photographers, buying books etc, photo charters and donations are all things we do. After all we are enthusiasts too and many of us are also volunteers.
Heritage railways ignore the enthusiast at their peril. Some years ago I remember donating to the West Somerset appeal when they had a financial crisis. They are now appealing for funds again but in the position of being one of the most enthusiast unfriendly lines in the country. Will I donate this time? Not a chance.
These sort of appeals are generally not supported by the non enthusiast public.
As far as the GC is concerned, I normally only attend photo charters there now so can’t really comment but I think someone from the railway needs to have a word with that individual at Woodthorpe.

 

Still think it should be quite straight forward to do the research but I take your point a little.

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When I lived in Bristol ie pre 1998 or thereabouts there were several veg patches cultivated at the top of the shallow cutting between Redland & Clifton Down stations.

I originally thought that this thread referred to these & similar..............

 

Many years ago a small housing estate was built to the rear of Bristol Parkway station (in the old Stoke Gifford railway yard). Within a short time the new residents complained about the volume of the station's tannoy system.

If you're going to buy a house next to a railway station there will be noise. If you're going to buy a house next to an airport there will be noise. If you're going to buy a house ....do your homework. <BJ>

 

I do so agree. Near me there is a mushroom farm which has been there for many decades. Once or twice a week, and depending a bit on the way the wind is blowing, the atmosphere can become a bit "aromatic" for an hour or two. Locals are used to it and accept it as a regrettable but necessary by-product of a business that employs some two hundred people, a useful input to the local economy. Recent housing developments have seen more residences built in the area near the farm and it was not long before the complaints started, even going so far as to suggest that the farm be closed down, provoking a strong reaction against some of the "incomers". Why they didn't do their homework before buying is a mystery but I think too many put their trust in the information they get from the sales agents and forget that the agents work for the seller not the purchaser

 

I must admit to being slightly puzzled by your comment about the WSR. I've attended every one of their Spring galas since 2002 and every Autumn gala since 2007, in addition to a few special events and regular annual visits with my family during our summer holidays, and I've always found the railway to be very friendly.
OK, so in all those years I've encountered a few platform staff who could have worded their requests a little more politely, but they are definitely the exception rather than the rule.

 

I agree - but that is a railway station, not a railway. Having lived (just) within range of a station's loudspeakers (hearing relied on wind direction, level of background noise, etc.), it is intrusive, much more so than a railway. But I stand by my comments about how easy it is to research what living somewhere will be like if you don't know (a) that enthusiasts come out in droves for galas and (b) that the estates is built right by a prime photographic location.

"It was here first" is a limited defence if the lawyers get involved, something we should all be thankful when breathing the air in large cities.