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Lynton and Barnstaple - Operations and Development

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

  1. MartinBall

    MartinBall Guest

    If you look at the station plan from L&B days and the estate agent's plan of the current building (see these on the Friends of Bratton Fleming Facebook page), you'll see that several extensions have been added - some more attractive than others! https://www.facebook.com/pg/FriendsBrattonFleming/photos/?tab=album&album_id=137044814696871
    As a holiday home though, these work well in terms of space. In fact if the current sitting room were repurposed as a large double bedroom and the conservatory made into a sitting room area, then it could sleep 5 easily (the current 2nd bedroom is really a bit small for a double). It looks as if the dining room could also take 2 larger and 1 small table.
     
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  2. 45669

    45669 Part of the furniture

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    It's difficult to generalise because every transaction is different, but an average is probably around two to three months. However, as has been said, the governing factor in many cases is the 'chain' where there are several transactions all inter-dependant one upon another. Sometimes there can be a short chain with just one other sale or purchase involved, while in other cases there could be several other transactions both up and down the chain - sometimes hundreds of miles apart! This where estate agents, it they are doing their job properly, earn their money as much time and energy can be spent keeping tabs on all the other sales and purchases up and down the chain.

    Selling houses is the easy bit - it's keeping them sold that's the hard part!

    As we know there there have been two previous purchasers in the Bratton Fleming case, but in both cases the sales fell though. So if one or both of those purchasers have buyers for their own houses, these buyers will have to wait until the vendors have found alternatives to Bratton Fleming. And it seems that Exmoor Associates are in the same position if they have to wait for the vendors to find somewhere else. Even then it might not be plain sailing unless the vendors can find a property that is 'chain free'; i.e. an empty property or one where the vendor has been able to buy another property and is not dependant on the cash from their sale to do so.

    Nowadays. Assured Shorthold Tenancies enable people to take a short term tenancy for six months or so; this enables people to 'break the chain' by completing on their sale and moving into a short term rental while they look for an alternative to buy. They then have the advantage of being chain-free purchasers which can be beneficial when house hunting as agents will advise their vendors that it could be worth considering a lower offer for a quicker sale - and one that is less likely to fall through. One agent I was talking to picturesquely put it when he said that if they get a chain-free purchaser, they're all over them like a rash!
     
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  3. Meiriongwril

    Meiriongwril Member

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    The advantage that FoB has is that they are not in a rush to complete and can wait till the vendors have a new house. As the vendors are described as honorable people it's unlikely they would consider another offer.
     
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  4. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    However, I would imagine that the FoB (and no doubt also the vendors when buying their next property) would like to complete before the 'stamp duty holiday' comes to an end.
     
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  5. 45669

    45669 Part of the furniture

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    They're the ideal buyers. Estate agents would like a few more like that!
     
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  6. 45669

    45669 Part of the furniture

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    Estate agents are probably telling their applicants that they can now afford to make higher offers - and telling their clients that they should get higher offers...
     
  7. nine elms fan

    nine elms fan Part of the furniture

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    A cousin of mine a few years ago sold his house in a chain of 11 other house sales, it took close on 13 months before moved, after which he said never again.
     
  8. 45669

    45669 Part of the furniture

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    Well that says it all! Imagine the estate agents all trying to hold that lot together. Were they all local, or did they cover the country from north to south and from east to west?
     
  9. nine elms fan

    nine elms fan Part of the furniture

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    My cousin moved to Bideford, where has lived for 32 years now, the furthest property in the chain was i believe Oban in Scotland.
     
  10. 45669

    45669 Part of the furniture

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    Sounds like a nightmare! They have a different system in Scotland, so I don't know how that fitted in with all the others. I was once involved with a chain that included Northumberland and Cornwall.
     
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  11. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

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    Friend of my brothers was in a chain, it was hanging for ages and those involved got to know each other quite well.

    After a few months with nothing happening they went down the line to discover that it was the person at the bottoms buyer that was holding things up.

    They then got hold of the would be buyers girlfriend whose response was something like 'He's done it again' seemed that he was in the habit of putting offers in for houses but never proceeding.

    The people at the top who were comfortably off ended up buying then reselling the bottom property rather than lose their purchases
     
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  12. 45669

    45669 Part of the furniture

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    "They then got hold of the would be buyers girlfriend whose response was something like 'He's done it again' seemed that he was in the habit of putting offers in for houses but never proceeding."

    The estate agent, assuming that there was one, should have been checking up on their prospective purchaser's progress and found someone else if he or she wasn't happy that the buyer was serious.

    "The people at the top who were comfortably off ended up buying then reselling the bottom property rather than lose their purchases"

    That's novel. One way to break a chain, but not one that many people could afford to do. Pity that.
     
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  13. 3ABescot

    3ABescot Member

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    Every opinion has to be considered on a level playing field, so long as it's relevant to planning: environmental impact, traffic implications, accordance with local policies etc. The officer recommendation will be based on an objective assessment of these, including weighing any disbenefits against the economic etc. benefits.
    Councillors are politians of course and the local ones in particular will be expected to represent local opinion as a factor. If there is a lot of local opposition, and much of the support is from away this will doubtless get a mention, but should not be a determining facor.
     
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  14. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    If my recollection is correct, this a re-application (necessitated by the passage of time ?) for an application previously agreed. If so, then I would suggest that the Council would need to have a very good reason IMHO to suddenly change their mind and reject it this time around. Also, would that not then go against the Local Plan requirement for the rebuilt railway to re-use the existing former stations etc wherever possible?
     
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  15. H Cloutt

    H Cloutt Member

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    Yes this is a reapplication. However, there are a great many more objections - I suspect this is why it has to be heard by the Committee rather than be delegated for officer decision. The majority of the objections seem to be by patrons of the Inn who don't want it to close. This is strange given that the application leaves the inn open. If I read the objection from the owners of the Inn correctly their circumstances have changed and they now wish to continue to run the Inn. There is an objection from the person who owns the trackbed south of Parracombe who has said they will never sell the land. It will be interesting to see what the Planning Department say in their report to committee. If Planning is refused then the fact that it has been approved before would be good grounds for appeal.
     
  16. Alan Kebby

    Alan Kebby Well-Known Member

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    I’m aware of the reservoir, but are there any other major obstructions on the route? The impression I get is there are remarkably few for a railway closed so long ago.

    How many of the stations remain intact?
     
  17. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    Two comments:-

    1. >>>The majority of the objections seem to be by patrons of the Inn who don't want it to close. This is strange given that the application leaves the inn open.
    Sadly I think there is an element here of 'mass hysteria' whipped up by a small number of opponents to the railway and then seized upon by people who have not bothered to read the application properly. Hopefully the Planning Committee will see that the basis for such objections is unfounded and therefore ignore them.

    2. >>> If I read the objection from the owners of the Inn correctly their circumstances have changed and they now wish to continue to run the Inn.
    Fair enough, but what might happen in the future if their circumstances change again? Grant of planning permission to the railway for something which at the moment they do not own is quite permissible (qv some stretches of trackbed in the ENPA), but at least if the railway had it in their corporate 'back pocket' it might become useful in due course.
     
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  18. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    Am I the only one getting confused by this? The initial response on this thread by @3ABescot was a (very delayed) reply to a comment about the application from 2016. And now all of a sudden people are talking about an entirely new planning application. So is there a second planning application - and if so, why?

    Tom
     
  19. Mark Thompson

    Mark Thompson Well-Known Member

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    Hi Alan. The easiest thing to do here is to take a virtual trackbed tour:

    https://www.lynton-rail.org.uk/page/killington-lane-blackmoor-gate-and-wistlandpound-maps-photos

    https://www.lynton-rail.org.uk/page/woody-bay-station-lynton

    https://www.lynton-rail.org.uk/page/wistlandpound-barnstaple

    also taken quite some years ago, these photographs are all still relevant today. So basically, the only L&B station building which no longer exists is Caffyns, although it's adjoining overbridge still does, now sitting in splendid isolation!
     
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  20. H Cloutt

    H Cloutt Member

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    The planning application from 2016 [60675] had to be resubmitted since it had run out of time. See this link https://planning.northdevon.gov.uk/Planning/Display/70504 This new application was made in September 2019. There is another application 70718 also under consideration to correct errors in previous consents.
     

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