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West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by gwr4090, Nov 15, 2007.

  1. Paul Kibbey

    Paul Kibbey Well-Known Member

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    We've been lucky with the weather the last couple of years but just think what chaos might happen in the showground and car parks if there had to be some heavy weather ? Sorry to be so negative .
     
  2. Pete Thornhill

    Pete Thornhill Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Administrator Moderator Friend

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    You could argue that for any event though!
     
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  3. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

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    More to the point what about hiring the site to 3rd parties who might want to run an event?
     
  4. paulhitch

    paulhitch Guest

    Indeed so. Other railways find this to be most lucrative. Including, dare it be said, for motor shows.
     
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  5. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    That, maybe, is because they hold it on the same day as the Torbay three day Steam Rally, when it very rarely rains. :D
     
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  6. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

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    Just dont hold an event on World Naked Gardening Day - the weather is guaranteed awful!!
     
  7. 45076

    45076 Member

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  8. Paul Kibbey

    Paul Kibbey Well-Known Member

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    True , but by multiplying the events in a grassy field and maybe not always such a traditionally fine weather period , fate is being tempted .
     
  9. Paul Kibbey

    Paul Kibbey Well-Known Member

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    Fantastic idea , no risk and just the income and possibly free advertising .
     
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  10. aldfort

    aldfort Well-Known Member

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    A couple of points about the Rally field.

    Firstly it is available for hire by others and has been rented out on this basis in the past.
    Secondly it is rented to a local farmer for much of the year.

    It should also be remembered that it's a flood plain which limits it utility in anything but dry weather.
     
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  11. AnthonyTrains2017

    AnthonyTrains2017 Well-Known Member

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    is there any chance of rare track DMU bash. I’d pay.
     
  12. Nick C

    Nick C Well-Known Member

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    Don't say that too loudly, or you'll get developers wanting to build a housing estate on it... :rolleyes:
     
  13. paulhitch

    paulhitch Guest

    I recall it being said that the most lucrative crop a field could have was caravans. By the same token, if demand for it can be worked up, it might well be more lucrative if your rally field was not let for grazing at all, saving the area having to be cleared of "certain substances" before other uses. Of course much will depend on the terms of the grazing licence..
     
  14. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    There are developers hovering with ambitions for much of the land around Norton Fitzwarren and have been for many years. There is an element of ‘developer chicken’ being played because the first to build will have to construct considerable flood mitigation works meaning that it is hard for the first developments to be profitable.

    Robin
     
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  15. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    Given all the talk of climate change and sea level rise I would hope that a local council would object to housing. Parts of Somerset are no stranger to flooding.
     
  16. Captain Fantastic

    Captain Fantastic Member

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    No chance of that council officers need holiday homes too you know
     
  17. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    Given the Quantocks and the Brendons to the north and the Blackdowns to the south, I doubt that sea level rise will be the issue at Norton Fitzwarren.

    Robin
     
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  18. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    Judging by my little bit of central southern England, the modern equivalent of that might be “the most lucrative crop a field could have is solar panels”. I suspect you could probably engineer them to be quite resilient to flooding as well. :)

    Tom
     
  19. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    Maybe, but if it is a flood plain the water has to come from somewhere. It is suggested that, as we have seen in recent times on our tv's, more than a usual amount of rain fall, in a short time, is no longer uncommon. Just in over a week - in August, a summer month, has had serious floods in Lancashire. Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Scotland and to a lesser degree in a couple other places.
     
  20. Nick C

    Nick C Well-Known Member

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    If it's anything like here, getting permission to put solar panels on the roof of an industrial building (otherwise wasted space) is hard, but covering acres of prime agricultural land with them seems to be easy...
     

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