This document sets out a summary of the reasons why the West Somerset Railway now gives WHOLEHEARTED SUPPORT to the development plans for the land immediately to the west of Bishops Lydeard Station.

The West Somerset Railway will need no introduction as one of Somerset’s premier tourist attractions and a cornerstone of the tourist economy in Taunton Deane and West Somerset.

I am a Director (and Trustee) of the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust, the educational and historical charitable trust associated with the WSR and I have been leading the process of the Bishops Lydeard Development on behalf of the West Somerset Railway.

Robin White, Director, West Somerset Steam Railway Trust 31.12.07

Southern Railway locomotive ‘Lord Nelson’ at Crowcombe, summer 2007

The land which forms the subject of these applications is referred to in the Taunton Deane Local Plan as follows:

‘Land west of Bishops Lydeard Station is allocated for recreation and tourist development. Complementary recreation and tourist developments will be permitted which (a) support the tourist potential of the West Somerset Railway and (b) respect the character and setting of the Station buildings.’

Linked planning applications (06/2006/021 and 022) were brought forward by Gadd Ltd, a local Taunton developer, in 2006. After initially objecting, these applications were not supported by the West Somerset Railway. After the lodging of an appeal for non-determination by the developer, in early 2007 TD Planning Committee recommended the then proposals for rejection.

The 2006 proposals included features now dropped from the present proposals, in particular, a craft village and a convenience store. The 2006 proposals also included rather more housing than the present proposals.

After the withdrawal of the 2006 applications the West Somerset Railway commenced discussions with Gadd Ltd, the landowner, and the relevant planning officers to see if a solution beneficial to all parties could be found.

Those discussions have resulted in new proposals which provide significantly greater support to the WSR than did the 2006 Applications.

The result is the present group of linked applications, numbers 06/2007/027, 028, 042, 043 and 044 which, as a group, have the WHOLEHEARTED SUPPORT of the WSR.

In outline, the proposals include:

• A Museum and Visitor Centre, including a display building for the West Somerset Steam Trust’s heritage railway carriages collection, including educational facilities
• Two additional railway sidings between the Museum and the existing WSR main line.
• A tourist facility including a café, cycle hire shop, micro brewery, holiday accommodation and small creative-industry based business units
• A courtyard linking Museum and Café to Bishops Lydeard’s station building
• A pub / restaurant
• An office building for a local sustainable business
• A quantity of housing of mixed open market and affordable housing
• Associated services and road improvements, including a roundabout at the difficult A358 / Station Road junction
• Traffic calming and pavement across the Bishops Lydeard railway station bridge.