Lynton and Barnstaple - Operations and Development

I have just received notification of the site visits on 13th May:

 

I thought they said that the application would be accepted/denied within six months, what was the date that it was submitted?

 

Oh you never believe that. The time taken to determine a contentious planning application is the proverbial piece of string.

 

Generally positive reports from both ENPA and North Devon planning meetings on the members' part of the L&B website.

 

The ENPA Planning Meeting can be listened to in full, here (all 3 hours 9 minutes of it). If you're interested, it is worth a listen, as most of the meeting is devoted to the L&B applications, with an overview of the applications presented, followed by speeches by a number of objectors (including Mr. and Mrs. Grob), and then a response from L&B Director, Ian Cowling and Planning Advisor, James Shorten.

Funny how only one of the objectors has a North Devon accent! I would also be interested to know who is heard sniggering (and why) at the suggestion of a shuttle bus from Woody Bay to Lynton. I also had no idea that the L&B was a miniature railway!

 

How did the ENPA site visit go yesterday?

 

Looks like the next Exmoor National Park Authority meeting will be on June 7th. Don't know if we are to expect any updates / decisions at that meeting.

 

It would be great if we did, but I suspect we are in for the long haul

Colin

 

Word on the grapevine - so as usual take it with as much salt as you wish and believe it or not - is that it is being called in for a planning inquiry.

Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk

 

Is is that a good thing or bad thing? I'm a little confused as to what this could mean...

 

That's strange - I thought from this and other threads you gave the impression you thought you were quite well versed in legal matters...

 

Decision not expected until September or October we hear...

 

In a nutshell:

• Several day (or week) public inquiry held where all interested parties are able to give their views
• A planning inspector prepares a report from the inquiry, which recommends approval or refusal of the plans
• The Secretary of State makes a final decision after the report

Ultimately it means the decision would be taken out of the local planning authorities' hands - and probably not made this year. That is, of course, if the info I have had is correct and it is being called in.

 

Not entirely sure when I ever gave the impression I was experienced in legal matters such as this, because I can honestly say I'm not.

Though I'm not entirely sure what it is your trying to state or imply either... care to clarify?

 

I think that MGP may have been confusing you with the ever present 'Julian'?

 

If this is the case, then it has to be bad news. It's also fairly puzzling. ENPA have the reinstatement of the railway in their long-term plan, the application by the L&B is to fulfill that intention. It must be one of the most comprehensive applications they've ever received, but it seems that a handful (a small handful) of nimbys has made them run scared to the cover of calling the application in. If one was of a suspicious mind, one might think that cronyism is at play here....

 

An alternative analysis is possible.

At the moment the L&B runs from nowhere to nowhere (but ever so delightfully) over a mile in the middle of nowhere, affecting no-one in particular.

The present application marks the point where it steps up to a line from sort of somewhere via somewhere, and certainly raises the real prospect of, in time, running from somewhere to somewhere in quite a significant and useful manner.

Perhaps the view might have been taken that marking that change needs a more substantial enquiry, and, blessed with the principle endorsement that an enquiry can bestow, the L&B's wake from sleep can then be accepted as a public good, leaving future extension applications to focus on practicalities and any real local difficulties, rather than principle.

I did listen to the planning meeting recording (while ironing) a couple of days ago. The objections are really based on fear and exaggerated concern about the effect of the potential nearby railway. I do think that a visit over the hill to West Somerset might help, but folks do get very 'dug in' to their positions.

On to Barnstaple!

Robin

 

Apologies - that is indeed the case!

Mike

 

Ah, well that's fair enough then, no harm done.
Nice of you to apologise.

 

Well, my grapevine says something quite different from Charobin's. It says the ENPA will not be calling in the application, but will support it with a set of conditions. Whether this is approved at the next meeting, or not until the Autumn, we'll have to see.