Lynton and Barnstaple - Operations and Development

Which section of trackbed was JE looking at, and how long would it have been?

 

The voting results are out !

See https://www.lynton-rail.co.uk/news/...uIVw-KSvS8HocFQtk2_aem_XcMV7bD2Oq4BQRNiKNFfWg

Dare I say, probably roughly as expected by many of us ?

 

Have relations improved between the Trust and the villagers of Parracombe? If not, good luck.

 

Perhaps they are having a meeting about that at Anchorage as well ? Equally chilly, no doubt!

 

This is all "based" on one aside from one member of ENPA's planning committee.
I can hear the sound of Parracombe lawyers being weaponized already. Good luck.

 

As expected, not what I'd personally have chosen, but a clear outcome and decently well presented, for which the Trustees deserve credit.

While I fear popcorn may be needed for reopening discussions over Parracombe, I'm pleased to see a clear acknowledgement of the mood of the membership in terms of how the different options stack up together.

What would be interesting would be to understand where the "none" votes went - and what feedback came through the responses.

 

The reinstatement of the railway is in the local plan and that is what determines whether permission is granted or not. There are other planning conditions which must be met - the planning authority will discuss these in a pre-application discussions. Objections from residents will only be taken into account if they show something in planning regulations which stops an application being approved.

 

Given the history, it needs to be noted that a) such objections are likely to be strenuously made to the last gasp and b) backed up by very robust legal analysis and support.

 

All I will say is this—If this is the path they’re going to take, I wouldn’t even try to make any talks with local officials and authorities until the trust has bought the trackbed in its entirety between what they presently have and Parracombe.

 

They already own the track bed to Parracombe.

 

There is much to be sorted out at the Board level, so I won't hold my breath if this takes another five years or so to get built.

 

Hopefully, the Trust won't just walk into the next meeting like they did the last time, and given the last result, our backroom team will work out a better strategy. I am not so sure just how much of the argument that was raised at the last application will be permissible this time around, considering the nudge that ENPA gave the Trust in the final report.

 

Sadly this doesn’t seem ambitious enough, I think, to attract enough new supporters to make a real difference. And no mention whatsoever of any overall vision for the whole route, or even cooperation with the Exmoor/Yeo mob.

It’s still too inward looking, which was also a major factor behind the failure of the last two planning applications.

 

I think you are right, there is no 'big picture thinking'. I am told that it will cost a fortune to rebuild or replace much of the old civil engineering, and that is without factoring in the rebuilding of Lancey Brook viaduct. There were 80 bridges along the entire line, and most have not been professionally surveyed in years*.

It will be interesting to see how this starts to develop over the coming months, but more importantly, how this is going to go down at the next AGM.


* I have not included Chelfham Viaduct since that does get regularly inspected.

 

It will be interesting to se if the 'Return to Parracombe' fundraiser is relaunched and at what figure ££ it will start

 

Well, for a start, it has been suggested elsewhere that the approval for the new KL road bridge has now lapsed, in which case the Trust will have to re-apply to DC for acceptance. If true, then another expensive side-effect of the CFL saga.

Hopefully the Trustees will give us an update on that situation in due course.

 

I know some will not agree with me on this, but rebuilding the railway is not something that I feel this trust is set up to do right now; there are more urgent administrative tasks that need its attention right now

 

Does it not have the capability and/or capacity to do both at the same time, albeit possibly to differing timescales?
If not, then I would suggest that we are indeed likely to be struggling for some long while yet :-(

 

Looking over what has (or has not) been achieved in the past few years, I do wonder if we are firing on all cylinders at all levels. Reading the various posts on here, Facebook, and the E group, I am not sure that we are, and I feel a huge storm coming.

 

Well, there's certainly getting the roofs done at Woody Bay and Blackmoor. That's something which isn't going to just go away.