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Lynton and Barnstaple - Operations and Development

Discussion in 'Narrow Gauge Railways' started by 50044 Exeter, Dec 25, 2009.

  1. Small Prairie

    Small Prairie Part of the furniture

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    Back to the CPO power chat on an open fourm where we know for a fact there is atleast 1 member on nat pres that is a local to Parracombe and objects to everything.

    Glad to see your all so helpful towards the cause
     
  2. 21B

    21B Part of the furniture

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    Not sure it makes that much difference in all honesty. The position of both sides is well rehearsed.

    What we should all acknowledge is that no heritage railway has “right” to exist. IF the L and B is to extend beyond Parracombe it must demonstrate that there is a need, and IF such extension should require the compulsory purchase of land as a last resort, then that is a proportional result. I think we are a long way off that point.
     
  3. Pete Thornhill

    Pete Thornhill Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Administrator Moderator Friend

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    Yes let’s be secretive, that’s really helpful to building relationships to overcome those objections. I’m pretty sure there is nothing to hide but you are not really giving that impression, thankfully there is a more open approach to the extension proposals than you advocate.
     
  4. Old Kent Biker

    Old Kent Biker Member

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    To be fair, there is at least one - most likely several - trust member (either directly or by proxy) who is a local to Parracombe and objects to everything the Trust does. Some may be closer to you than you would think possible...
     
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  5. pmh_74

    pmh_74 Well-Known Member

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    Hmm, you need a T&WAO for many things over and above just securing land for a railway. Sooner or later, applying for one becomes unavoidable.
    What powers it conveys is another discussion. But allowing an impression to be formed that a T&WAO is an inherently bad thing, worries me.
     
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  6. cncmodeller

    cncmodeller New Member

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    I don't know what they keep belly aching about, in our region in Lincolnshire we've got the not so "Great grid upgrade" and a whole line of 50m tall ugly pylons and electric cables sweeping through the countryside from Grimsby all the way through Suffolk and Essex for the benefit of London, it doesn't end there we've got a Nuclear dump planned at Mablethorpe and a chicken droppings Gas plant not a mile away. A little narrow gauge track would be nothing in comparison.
     
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  7. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    True, but it’s their homes, their surroundings. They’re entitled to their views, and to have them represented through the planning process.

    There’s another point too. Even if all the locals were strongly supportive, there’s still the need to be a good neighbour. And what I’ve seen in the latest magazine is a genuine attempt at being good neighbours, and addressing the concerns of those who aren’t sure. That deserves praise.
     
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  8. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    [QUOTE="35B, post: 2896823, member: 13795"...... And what I’ve seen in the latest magazine is a genuine attempt at being good neighbours, and addressing the concerns of those who aren’t sure......[/QUOTE]
    Is that the new issue which no-one else has seen yet??
     
  9. Michael B

    Michael B Member

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    Try telling that to the people trying to revive the Southwold Railway.
     
  10. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    Is that the new issue which no-one else has seen yet??[/QUOTE]
    It’s the one that dropped on my doormat yesterday morning.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  11. H Cloutt

    H Cloutt Member

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    Hopefully will get mine early next week.
     
  12. Michael B

    Michael B Member

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    It must be exciting - Royal Mail were still reading it when they came this morning.

    How can I stop the racket from some advert when I'm trying to read the messages on this site ?
     
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  13. Mr Valentine

    Mr Valentine Member

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    Following the recent Exmoor Associates meeting, a couple of unofficial reports have appeared on the Hayles Abbey Halt blog, which are worth sharing (in each case you'll need to scroll down a bit):

    #1 Blog entry for 2nd October

    In the past I've spent a fair bit of time pouring over both the National Library of Scotland's maps, as well as Google street view, in order to gain an understanding of the layout of the 'long-gone' Skew Bridge, which carried the road over the line between Snapper and Chelfham. Despite having 'worked it out', it never occurred to me that the bridge itself might still exist...

    #2 Blog entry for 9th October

    Crossing this road was always going to be an issue, but perhaps the scale of the problem may not be quite as big as first appears?
     
  14. DcB

    DcB Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for linking to the unofficial update
    "the intention is to rent the station out as a holiday home next year"
    Thought Bratton Flemming station was keeping a low profile and discocourang visitors as it had a long term (supportive) tennant?.
    Presumably will still be low profile if being rented for shorter holiday lets?.
     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2024
  15. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    The tenant left some months ago, as EA shareholders will be aware :)
     
  16. H Cloutt

    H Cloutt Member

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    Yes it was reported in Trackbed Trails 43.
     
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  17. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    I have been looking, with a mixture of interest and dismay, at the various objections being raised against the planning application for the CFL extension.

    Some of the objections are the well-known 'old chestnuts' about the perceived mass crowds of visitors and traffic chaos that it will bring to the village of Parracombe. There are comments about the perceived awful disruption to residents' lives by the constant whistling and smoke from 7 trains a day. Some appear to have the interesting view that it will deter the visitors who currently come to enjoy PE's peace and tranquility. Who knows?

    There is the argument that there should not be any station at CFL because there was never one there originally and so why is it needed now? Well, the answer to that of course is simply that it could be at PE itself if the locals residents had not objected to the previous application. On that basis, would they tell (say) the Swanage Railway that they should not have stations at Norden, Harman's Cross and Herston?

    One complaint highlighted the fact that the new station will be several feet about the original tracked, claiming that this had not been mentioned during the prior public consultation phase, with the apparent implication that the Trust were being sneaky in slipping it in now. Well IIRC it was quite clear from the earlier published information that this would indeed be the case. This would seem to illustrate the fact that, however much information you may promulgate, you can never be sure that the audience either (a) digests it and/or (b) understands it.

    Another complaint centres around the fact that the station is described as 'temporary'. The objector seems to regard this as some sort of proof that the L&BR intends to extend its line in bits and pieces as a way of rebuilding all the way back to Barnstaple 'by stealth' and appears to suggest that the Trust should 'up front and honest' about its 'true intentions'. Well IMHO you only have to read the Trust's Charitable Objectives and other media material to know that it has always been clear about the ultimate aim to rebuild the whole line.

    Quite a few people express concerns what they perceive as four years of disruption during the construction phases, with interruptions to private and bus travel by road closures etc etc. Now, I may be wrong here, but my impression is that the staged nature of the work will mean that there not be a continuous period of 4 years in any one location. For example, I would imagine that the work to rebuild the bridge at KL would, by itself, have very little if any effect on the main PE village - any construction road traffic could use the by-pass.

    Hopefully no doubt the Trust will be able to provide robust responses in due course.

    What do others think?
     
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2024
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  18. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    Mine arrived today.
    I thought the Newsletter was a bit 'short & sweet' this time - it seems to be largely a case of 'wait and see' on many issues.
     
  19. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    Just as a wacky left-field idea: a “station” to me (temporary or otherwise) implies a place you can alight, and at least some kind of structural footprint, ie platforms.

    If Cricket Field Lane is the next staging point - does it need to be a station? Or could it just be the end of the line, maybe with a run round loop, but passengers stay in their carriages to return to Killington Lane or Woody Bay?

    That way you get the extended line; the longer journey; the new scenery; and (for members) the sense of once again making progress, yet from the village point of view there is no footfall from visitors; and no built infrastructure beyond the rails. It also means not spending money on what would be seen as temporary facilities.

    For a precedent, the Bluebell went from Horsted Keynes to East Grinstead in five “hops”, and only one resulted in a station. (Horsted House Farm run as push-pull shuttles; then West Hoathly as a run round loop but no alighting; then Kingscote station where there had always been one; then Imberhorne Lane as occasional push-pull shuttles; then East Grinstead as the final destination.

    If the local objection is to a station - then don’t build a station …

    Tom
     
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2024
  20. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    Good thinking. I will just note that the facilities at KL are far from extensive - and do give the sense of a journey to somewhere


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