Lynton and Barnstaple - Operations and Development

The report looks like a careful job by a sensible official.

I would suggest the views of the Parrish Councils will carry considerable weight.

It is hard to argue against the suggestion that the relevant members of the authority should make a site visit.

I repeat my offer for any of them who would like to see the impact of an open and operating heritage railway on adjoining properties to come, as my guest, to Stogumber.

Anyone associated with the L&B project should feel free to convey that offer.

Robin

 

Quite so. People go too far; instead of saying simply that the development will seriously harm their amenities they then think that harm to amenities will lower the value of their property and object on the grounds of loss of value. They also need to remember that the planning system exists to protect the public interest, not individual private interests. The two often overlap and the skill is in how the overlap is handled.

 

Parracombe Parish Council sound like a bundle of laughs

 

To be fair there are a lot of genuine concerns in there, with Parracombe seeming to be the most difficult area to resolve. As much as we might love the idea of a railway in our village, to be fair I don't blame a lot of the residents for being worried about the scheme. Parracombe needs to be love bombed, not just with facts and figures to prove the L&B's claims on economic and environmental impact, but just general PR and generate some positive feeling. Get the pub and B&B on board, it'll hugely benefit them. Offer all residents of Parracombe free travel for life. The project lives and dies on the public opinion of Parracombe.

 

I didn't mean my previous comment flippantly. A coach trip to the WSR for Parracombe residents might work wonders, or, at very least, allay a lot of fears.

Robin

 

People don't like change at the best of times, some of the comments do not stack up as far as I can see, as for the local B&B's and the pub in Parracombe The Fox and Goose they all benefit from the railway as it is, when I was last down in Devon and I happen to go to the Fox and Goose the then owner said to me that if it was not for the railways plans he was sure that Parracombe would have lost the Fox and Goose a long time ago.

I realise that the L&BR may not have won the full argument yet, however I think there is a strong case for the reinstatement of the line, from what I have read the main concern is not about the railway and the operation of it, but all the construction work that needs to take place in the first place, once that has been done, I suspect most will jump ship and come on board to support the railway once they can see for themselves what benefits it brings to Parracombe.

 

I recently read the Prideaux book on the L&B, and one thing leapt out at me - Parracombe was the largest intermediate place on the line, yet used it least. To the extent that the rebuilding relies on a folk memory of the line (there can be few who actually remember it), that suggests a particular challenge.

 

Picking through the detail of the report, it would appear that agreement has been reached to purchase Fairview. Whilst (if true) this would represent major progress for the railway, it's also sad to see that apparently a price requested for The Halt bungalow was over twice its market value. This is so difficult, and all credit to the board of the L&B for their patience.

 

Is this true? Would love to run Fairview as a B&B!

 

There is some history, as others have pointed out: Catchpole says opposition at Parracombe at the construction stage was "dealt with by downgrading the proposed station to a halt" and if you look at things on the ground you can understand some of today's sensitivities. The report strikes me as fair and balanced.

 

Ah yes - 3.37 In order to mitigate the noise levels likely to be experienced at West View Cottages during the Blackmoor Gate Station works, acoustic site barriers will be erected. As the other affected property (Fairview) is intended to be purchased by the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Trust, and will no longer be retained in residential use, no further mitigation is required. Following application of this mitigation, there will be no significant residual noise effects.

 

I note the word 'intended'. At this stage I would suggest that this is an aspiration rather than anything more concrete. The rest of the trackbed from Lynton to Barnstaple is also intended to be purchased by the L&B, but that doesn't mean that any such agreement is in place (or even that negotiations are taking place). I think we need to be more patient!


Keith

 

The final sentence of section 14.40 sounds more optimistic!

Mike

 

Indeed it does - my apologies.


Keith

 

Yes indeed,

It is understood by
Officers that the applicant has now had an offer to purchase Fair View accepted and
the applicant is now in the formal process of taking ownership of the property.

 

No need for apologies - it is quite simply an enormous haystack in which to search for needles!

Mke

 

Well how dose Martinhoe PC think that the railway can be rebuilt without knocking the bungalow down then.

 

Diversionary routes were suggested by some of the objectors.


Keith

 

I've just had a look at the Parracombe 1903 6" OS map at http://maps.nls.uk/view/101442607 to get a better picture of the situation there and compare it with the modern map. It does explain some of the residents' concerns.

As a minor confusion, back then, St Petrock's church was known as St Peter's.

 

As likely expected it would appear that most of the concerns and objections are centred around Parracombe and Blackmoor Gate, with these two areas being the biggest developments in the proposal.

I'd like to know what their suggestions of alternative plans would be for the engine sheds though, as that is an integral part of the project, at least they are trying to hide it out of the way.

Though having said that, I must confess there is one objection I can understand, that being the passing loop at Parracombe halt. Combine the passing loop plan with a reinstated halt, plus water tower, and it does sound like an extensive complex your putting right there in the village. Could it not be possible to relocate the passing loop to another location outside the village? If it could I wouldn't be surprised the objections become less intensive as they are now, as you'd just have the line pass through, with only a stop at the station if requested, which is of course how it was like originally anyway.