Southwold Railway

Well done! (I trust your hospitalisation was planned, and not as a result of your labours ? Either way get well soon).

 

Looking good, one length of track at a time and before you know it, you will have quite a run.

 

A little update about my objection. I hope there were lots of others from members of this forum.

I received an acknowledgement from Suffolk.gov.uk, with the following text:

The County Council has a statutory duty to investigate formal applications made to amend the definitive map of Rights of Way. Legislation states that the determination criteria is entirely evidence based, either documentary (historical records), user evidence or both. No weight can be attached to merit based issues such as need, desirability, cost, effect on the environment, safety and security or the wishes of any parties etc. It is purely whether the evidence in support is sufficient or not. This application was supported by a large amount of user evidence and under the legislation the alignment can only be that to which the evidence relates.

Unless withdrawn before the end of the objection period (14 April) your letter along with all others received will be passed to the Planning Inspectorate to be determined by an Independent Inspector by way of a local public inquiry. Based on current timescales of other cases currently with the Planning Inspectorate, this is likely to take up to 2 years to take place.

I'm not quite sure what this all means, but I've done my bit, and explained to the council the likely benefit of re-opening the railway, based on my experience with another one. I think you would need some legal advice to point out exactly what ticks the right boxes for those who decide. A lot of aspects seem to have no bearing whatsoever!

 

thanks - neither, sadly - but we have a really good event team, and they excelled themselves - very nice to see, at last, an item in the income list which states - 'ticket sales! james (tho' it was probably one of the shortest passenger runs on record - even doing it twice each time - i.e. out/back/out/back still meant only about 330 yards or so. still - little acorns....)

 

thanks lynbarn - only wish it was as simple as that! we have, in a small way, very similar local objection problems as does the L & B - but we will win.... james

 

It never ceases to amaze me, the sheer number of words it takes to say absolutely nothing.
"Legislation states that the determination criteria is entirely evidence based, either documentary (historical records), user evidence or both."
I'm wishfully allowing that phrase to do some heavy lifting, here.

 

Hi James, I have just had a thought regarding the Cleminson chassis. I have a feeling that the Chasewater Railway near Birmingham, Brownhills, have one that they have used so it might be worth having a word with them.

Regards

Colin

 

some pics of the event j

 

Surely that clarified the matter very well, and may be helpful to you? It means that the Right of Way decision needs to be based on hard evidence, not public or media pressure. It's some years since I was involved with the Planning Inspectorate and, occasionally, PRoW matters, but it's for the proposers to show that people have been using the route as a right of way for however many years, without let or hindrance or something like that. You need to show they haven't.
NIMBY opinion against the railway is not in itself a factor. As people who have been there for years, you should be in a better position to give hard evidence than newcomers.