Politics, environment, farming and more in your new free Western Morning News newsletter - direct to your inbox every day Sign up Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

The controversial first phase of a multi-million pound rail link between Lynton and Barnstaple, which will pass within a few feet of the house in which Lorna Doone was written, was given the green light today despite vocal opposition.

The first phase will see the reinstatement of 3.5 miles of track which would lead from the end of the existing line at Killington Lane to the north of Parracombe, to Blackmoor Gate, and under the A399 and then outside the Exmoor National Park towards Wistlandpound Reservoir.

Exmoor National Park Authority met at Lynton Town Hall at 10am today to discuss the first phase of the rail link which could link the coastal village to Barnstaple.

The first phase of the proposed rail link, between Killington Lane and Wistlandpound Reservoir, was split into five planning applications.

The first four were approved but the final application to demolish a bungalow at The Halt in Parracombe to make way for the rail line was refused.

If the application had been successful the bungalow would have been replaced with two semi-detached houses, one for railway staff and another which would be affordable.

The house where Lorna Doone was written is now lived in by Louise Grob, and her dad Douglas May. Louise was among 20 members of the public who had asked to speak at the meeting today, she said: “I would urge members to take a step back and ask does the Exmoor National Park need this scheme? If the answer is no this application should be refused.

“Do we need extra visitors? The park already brings in two million visitors a year.

“Does it need an extended railway with no transport benefit. The railway is not relevant to the park, it is alien to it.

“It will be a dead attraction taking people from one car park to another car park, what is this doing for Exmoor?

She added: “Supporting this is not of benefit to anyone apart from rail enthusiasts and I say to them, ‘the national park is not a train set’.

“It’s environmental vandalism and we will fight this at every stage and we will win, meanwhile we will drag the Exmoor National Park, and its members, through the mud.”

An economic impact statement submitted with the application says that the proposals are expected to increase passenger numbers to 70,000 a year and will have a direct economic benefit of £10million per year over the next 10 years.

The report adds that the net economic benefits, when the account of construction cost is added, is approximately £62million and that it will create at least 24 full time jobs.

Bernard Lane, an expert on tourism who writes for the Journal of Sustainable Tourism, spoke in favour of the application, he said: “The application will help conserve the late Victorian heritage of Exmoor, a crucial period for the moor.

“This is Devon’s Eden Project on a smaller scale.”

(Image: Ordnance Survey)

The original Lynton to Barnstaple railway was opened in 1898 and was built as a narrow gauge railway, but closed in 1935. The current railway reopened in 2004 and operates from Woody Bay Station.

The extension plans advise that the railway would continue to operate for 12 months of the year, and would provide rolling stock that would comprise twelve carriages that would provide capacity for 70,000 passengers a year.

Dr John Prideaux from Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways also spoke about his experiences with a similar steam railway running across a national park in Wales.

He told planners despite initial opposition the railway now has a turnover of £5.4million a year and has created 132 jobs and a further 300 jobs in the community were created indirectly.

Lynton B&B owner John Tuck spoke about the benefit the rail link could have on the local economy, he said: “I support the application, it will be a much needed boost to tourism in this area.

“We look forward to the railway restoring the visitor numbers of previous years. Many B&Bs have closed in recent years and the guests we do have do not stay as long as they once did.”

After a break for lunch at around 1pm park authority members got to have their say.

Park authority officers recommended approval of four out of the five applications which make up the first phase of the rail link.

Members were also reminded the National Planning Policy Framework is clear that major developments on national park land should not be granted unless there are exceptional circumstances and are in the public interest.

County councillor and park authority member Richard Edgell brought up the issue of pollution, he said: “This is a coal fired system, you can say we’re out in the countryside in area with high winds, but it is still a coal system which is dirty and out of date.

“There will be a degree of pollution.”

Authority member Vivian White said: “This is not a simple or easy decision to make. We must come down one way or another.

“Based on the officers report and the speakers I was struck by two things; one person said the link would be ‘environmental vandalism’ and another said, and I have to agree, ‘it would be a useful future for the past’.”

When a vote was held on the first four applications members voted 15 to 0 in favour and one member, Richard Edgell, abstained.