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Bicester transport museum problems


lmsforever
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The proposed transport museum in Bicester Oxon  is under serious threat due to cash flow problems and a council that has no concepsion of what is in the building and is owned by the society that is running the operation. Origonally  based at Finmere St, ex Great Central they had a good space with a wide range of rolling stock also they owned a building in London full of road vehicles.But along came HS2  clear off you are in the way an offer was made for the site and the council and the british Army came up with a new home ,a refurbished building on the old camp at Bicester Oxon.The camp is vast with its own rail system and trains  but its now being redevoped as a vast housing estate and the  transport museum .All went well stock was moved a friend moved his loco there running took place then covid and work carried on but there was a problem ,HS2 informed them that the money for Finmere would not be paid until HS2 was up and running as an operating railway !! This hiatus has caused Bicester Town council to say no rent no museum clear off we dont want to know you. THEY ARE HAVING TO DISPOSE OF EVERYTHING BUSES CARS TRAINS  it must be such a disaster for everyone doubtless the council will dispose of the building to the highest bidder and the people of the area have no museum. Please if you live in this part of the world complain to your councilor and mp  this operation should have never finished like this.I have no connection to the museum but I feel that feel they have been on the recieving end of extremely bad treatment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Why are the funds for the Finmere site being withheld? I have contact with someone who had bought a house literally days before it became apparent that it would be required for HS2. He lived there for only a few months before it was purchased and he moved elsewhere, the funds were paid on completion in the normal way.
 

That was more than four years ago and the house is still standing but he’s now in Spain having moved there in the pre-Brexit era when it was still possible to do such things.

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I wondered that too. Compulsory purchase is a very well-defined processand compensation is due when the land is taken (even before, or even if never, in the case of "blight"), so it makes me wonder whether there is more to this than meets the eye. I do know that HS2 have a reputation for using their "temporary possesion" powers quite forcefully in relation to land that they only need during the construction period, and will give back once the job is finished, and that that has led to unresolved negotiations, and thereby delayed payments.

Edited by Nearholmer
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Is this COVES ? If so there's nothing on their Facebook page about it and comments from them within the last week saying they hope to have the site open to the public 'in the future'. 

 

I'd have expected to see something on there if they were under threat. They might have more urgent things to do of course. 

Edited by Wheatley
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According to my friend who has a loco there it literaly has happenned this week so lets hope the stock  etc can be  found homes. HS2  problem again as told would not be surprised  but seem to remember this happenning somewhere else on route .makes you wonder if the council ever had the commitment for this project .

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I keep pondering this, and I wonder if the issue goes something like:

 

- landowner is a bit of a gricer himself, so let’s others play trains on his land, effectively for free;

 

- along comes compulsory purchase order, and compensation is set on the basis of good market value, plus loss of earnings, and relocation costs;

 

- well, there is effectively no loss of earnings, because no earnings were being made from the land, and even proxy earnings as crop-land don’t amount to a great deal, and it isn’t a business as such, so limited relocation costs payable;

 

- compensation payable is far smaller than the use-value to those who park trains there, but they aren’t the landowner, so are due no compensation;

 

- HS2’s position would be: we gave you enough money to buy some land somewhere else, so you can do that, and let your mates park their trains on that.

 

The above is only wild guesswork, could easily be way off beam, but but it might explain how a problem could arise.

 

 

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1 hour ago, Nearholmer said:

I keep pondering this, and I wonder if the issue goes something like:

 

The above is only wild guesswork, could easily be way off beam, but but it might explain how a problem could arise.

 

 

Not far of for the C19th however that is not how it works (well worked in the 90's before I moved to proper engineering). It depends what written agreements they had for the Finmere base but both free and lease holders should have been able to claim injurious affection for issues over and above land value.

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lmsforever…..perhaps you could get your mate to have the organisation make a formal official announcement on the subject, then we will all know the position rather than secondhand.

There is no future in complaining to any officials without accurate firsthand info.

You can see I’m not in the area…but I do know people who are that I could pass this onto.

 

Edited by pb_devon
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