How will steam get on with the locals at East Grinstead?

One point not yet made is that the Bluebell have a Light Railway Order in their possession, and have had this since 1985. There might be restrictions in this document which specify methods of working designed to minimise environmental issues (this has been hinted at by the suggestion that it will only be one engine in steam at any time on the EG section. I don't know for sure, I haven't seen the LRO.)

I don't know what residents objectons were at the time, if any, but maybe these were dealt with in the LRO. Of couse many years later there will be new residents, and those within a certain distance will have been made aware of the proposed extension when they purchased their houses.

Having the LRO is a good start, it means the NIMBY crew can't prevent the running of trains like they did in the Wenford branch case, or possibly the Lavender Line. Whether they then try and seek compensation as suggested under the Land Compensation Act is another matter (isn't it ironic that this Act came about as a result of the Ffestiniog's fight against the CEGB). Even if a claim under the act was established, would the level of use - say maybe 4 trains a day on 200 days a year- justify any significant level of compensation. At the end of the day there will be just as many people who appreciate living near a railway as those who can't stand it so house prices are not likely to be affected in the same way as if, say, a wind turbine was present. Don't forget the Network Rail station at East Grinstead either, which would be usd 365 days of the year.

What the NIMBY crew can do is create a lot of hot air and maybe get some press, but then who pays attention to the local rags and the nationals are normall full of footballer stories, far more interesting you see......

As a Lawyer myself I do cringe when occasional negative references to our profession come up in various threads - particularly H and S ones. I give some of my time freely and willingly to my local railway and get much enjoyment out of it. (there are lots of 'pro rail' lawyers and many of these give time to their railways just like I do - it's a bit unfair to make a sweeping generalisation)

The fact is that NIMBYs do not need Lawyers to tell them what their rights are, they are usually pretty determined to stop things whether it's by legal challenge or other means such as going to the press.