We all want the L&B to be longer...

After 40 years hard work we have reached the stage in our development where we cannot extend this lovely little line in any direction without the necessary funds.

THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR

On the 6th March 2018, planning permission was granted, the next step is to now raise the necessary funds and also obtain a Transport and Works Act Order.  So still significant costs are involved, however, as other hertiage railways have already shown us, with sufficient people contributing, we will achieve this. By developing this singularly Devonshire asset into a significant attraction, sizeable benefits for many will result. Having come this far, we don't intend giving up now. Please do all you can to help us get to Blackmoor and beyond

Do it today! DOWNLOAD AN ALL-ABOARD FORM FROM HERE AND FILL IT IN NOW AND POST IT TODAY. The more of us that do this - the sooner the extension can begin.

NOW IS THE TIME!

HOW CAN I HELP?

In pole position is the ‘All Aboard!’ campaign, the purpose of which is to build a ‘fighting fund’ to pay for the costs involved in obtaining the paperwork required to build the railway. All funds are "ring fenced"and held in the designated "All Aboard - Restricted Fund" and cannot be used for anything other than the extension/expansion of the railway.

The ‘All Aboard!’ campaign enables everyone to give something to funding the extension of the L&B – sooner rather than later. The alternative is that we remain running trains between Woody Bay and Killington Lane.

We would be very interested to hear from any individual who wants to make a financial contribution towards the project. Complete confidentiality is guaranteed.

Download the "ALL ABOARD!" leaflet HERE - fill it in and return it to us, or email peter.miles@lynton-rail.co.uk or call 01442-381278 if you have specific questions, or can offer advice, financial support or any other service.

PURCHASE L&B CIC SHARES

Download a CIC Share Application Form HERE - but please read the attached regarding the purchase of shares before filling in and submitting the form.

All revenue derived from the purchase of shares is dedicated towards extending the railway from Killington Lane towards Blackmoor.

Our application for a Transport and Works Act Order will require the preparation of detailed plans showing land involved, environmental impact reports, discussions with local authorities, Environment Agency, Natural England, details of new works (bridges, stations etc), preparing a ‘book of reference’, planning documents, land surveys, soil investigations etc. The L&B is the longest-closed line to have re-opened (to date) in any form and is subject to the various requirements and regulations in force in the 21st century. Reopening one mile of the L&B was certainly no easy task, but reopening the next length is much more difficult and has to be dealt with appropriately.

This is a work in progress and there is much that lies behind the "All Aboard!" leaflet. We also expect questions to be asked and the Directors are always prepared to provide the required answers to the best of their knowledge. So here are a few Q&As to begin with:

1. How much money is needed? Well that is dependent upon many variables. Our Solicitors Winkworth Sherwood have produced a detailed costing schedule which is very thorough and covers the many options. This is of necessity a complicated document which it is hoped we will be able to distill into something more manageable.
2. What it will be spent on? Having obtained the planning consent, the next stage is the purchase of the remaining land required between Blackmoor and Woody Bay. Also, the required enabling works and a Transport and Works Act Order.
3. What is intended to be seen on the ground? Very little, but a TWAO will give the L&B the statutory powers required to commence the construction to extend the railway beyond its current operating limit. No TWAO = No construction!
4. What will I get in return? In addition to the satisfaction of knowing that you personally played a part in the revival of the L&B. If you sign up as a covenanter you will get limited edition replica L&B token commensurate with your contribution. It is intended to offer other incentives to donors - but we have to be mindful of the rules of Gift Aid. If you purchase shares in the CIC you will benefit as described in the relevant section below.
5. Will the extension be sustainable? Other Heritage railways have found that a longer length adds to their attraction and using figures obtained from other lines it is predicted that a longer L&B will not only cover its running costs but also make a degree of profit to feed back into it's further extension.
6. Why not target the appeals to a specific project such as a bridge or carriage shed? Because we need to build everything - there is no point in building a bridge that would never see a railway run under it; the money would be wasted.
7. By funding consultants, solicitors, planning etc. the money will only disappear into a "black hole" without any discernible result. The necessary statutory authority to extend the railway is a worthwhile result. It is in any case impossible to obtain the required permissions without funding solicitors, consultants etc. So no funding of solicitors = no Permissions.
8. Supporters want to see a definite short term result from their financial support such as contributing to LYN or the heritage carriages. Yes many contribute to these two worthy causes, but without permissions these magnificent creations will be restricted to operating over the one mile of track at Woody Bay and no further.
9. Exmoor Associates have long term aims to buy up L&B trackbed, surely this is an attractive proposition given the uncertainties involved in obtaining a TWAO. The sole reason that EA and the L&BR Trust have purchased sections of the L&B trackbed is for these sections to be available for eventual use by a reinstated railway. As no extension of the railway is possible without our complying with the planning conditions, is there be any point in purchasing even more land, when it is debateable that any railway will ever run on it? This is not an either/or situation: yes we need the land - yes we need to satisfy the planning consent - both are required in order to acheive the longer railway.
10. How can I be sure that the money I donate will only be used in ssupport of the planning and enabling works? The L&BR Trust is a registered Charity and consequently has to comply with the very strict charity laws concerning how the money raised for charitable purposes can be spent. The "All Aboard!" Appeal is a "ring fenced" restricted fund, so funds raised by this appeal can only be used for obtaining the permissions and the extension of the railway and for no other purpose.
11. How much of the L&B will the TWAO cover? The Permissions will cover the railway's route from Woody Bay to Wistlandpound.
12. What does a TWAO give the L&B? The statutory authority to build and operate a railway. Without a TWAO we cannot cross Killington Lane. When the L&B was built in 1898 it had an act of Parliament – a TWAO is the modern equivalent which is why we require one to build the railway today.
13. How long will it take us to get a TWAO? Approximately 18 months - two years.
14. How much will it cost?That depends on what issues we have to deal with on the way –minimum cost quoted for a TWAO is about £25k but as there are complex issues that could take up more of our solicitors' time based on other railways experience of TWAO's we are expecting it to be somewhere between £100k and £250k. Any surplus funds will be used to fund the reinstatement.
15. What happens when we have the TWAO? We can then commence the reinstatement of the railway beyond Killington Lane.
16. What about a Plan B? Think of this as obtaining a Driving Licence. Without a Driving Licence - you cannot legally drive a car. If you still wanted to drive but were unable to obtain a licence what would be your Plan B? The answer is of course go by bus as there is no alternative - that is if you want to drive a car legally! The same is true of the TWAO (effectively our Driving Licence) - there is no alternative to obtaining a TWAO, so no Plan B.
17. What happens if we cannot meet the requirements of the planning consent? We will be limited to running trains between Woody Bay and Killington Lane. With no way of extending the railway the effort that has so far been put into purchasing the several sections of line already earmarked for future use by the railway by both the L&B Trust and Exmoor Associates will have all been for nothing and there will be little point in our purchasing further sections of L&B trackbed.

1. an annual return to the local economy of more than £15,000,000 per year.

2. an additional 200 local jobs created or underpinned.

3. a significant boost to the economy through the local businesses via the additional visitors who will come to the area because they are attracted by the longer railway.

For more information about TWAOs click HERE and here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1992/42/contents. There is also a lot of other material on the internet about TWAOS.