On 16 January the UK’s Planning Inspectorate published its decision on Sunbury BESS Limited’s Appeal of the refusal of its planning application made by a 12:2 majority of the Spelthorne Borough Council’s Planning Committee on 17 September 2025.

The Planning Inspectorate agreed that the proposed BESS development on Green Belt land to the northeast of the Eco Park in Charlton Lane represented an ‘inappropriate development that would cause considerable harm to the openness of the Green Belt’ and ‘conflict with its purpose to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment’. It does however believe that ‘very special circumstances’, in the guise of a potential ‘contribution to the mitigation of climate change and the regulation of electricity flows within the wider supply network’, justify the building of this large and novel industrial development.

LOSRA has strongly opposed the various Sunbury BESS proposals in all three of its iterations since 2024; in doing so, it and its neighbouring RAs in Charlton Village and Shepperton have been fortunate in having individuals with the knowledge and experience of the electricity supply industry to understand and assess exactly what was being proposed. We are therefore extremely concerned to find that the Appeal Decision document published by the Planning Inspectorate contains a number of errors, inconsistencies and anomalies. It even appears to be granting permission to a scheme which, on one significant element at least, is at variance with the revised version of 24/01112/FUL that was submitted by Sunbury BESS Limited on 11 June 2025, refused permission on 17 September and then appealed.

Our three neighbouring RAs have closely analysed the Appeal Decision document and are submitting a detailed joint letter to the Planning Inspectorate which contains a list of our observations. Although the judgement cannot be overturned without recourse to a judicial review by the High Court – a move which would be way beyond the means of our RAs – we are requesting that factual errors and inconsistencies should at least be acknowledged and corrected. We will post an update on this in due course.

While HMOs provide important affordable housing, high concentrations in some areas, especially where tenants come from outside the Borough, have led to concerns over noise, anti-social behaviour, parking and community character.

HMOs tend to have higher tenant turnover rates, leading to more frequent void periods and the associated costs of finding new tenants. This can also increase the wear and tear on the property. With multiple tenants, there are more relationships to manage and potential conflicts to resolve.

The following email has been received by LOSRA from the Council and we reproduce it here:

 "You've been invited to participate in the Spelthorne Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) Consultation consultation by the consultation manager, Mr Simon Rowberry.

This consultation is open from 28 Jan 2026 at 12:00 to 25 Feb 2026 at 23:59.

Spelthorne Borough Council is asking for public feedback on new planning guidance about Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). This gives residents, landlords, developers and other interested people a chance to have their say. 

The consultation is open from 28 January to 25 February and is about a draft document, called a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), that explains the Council’s approach to homes that are shared by several unrelated people, such as shared houses or bedsits.

If the guidance is approved, it will be used when the Council decides future planning applications for HMOs. It explains what the Council will look at when deciding whether a proposal is acceptable.

HMOs help meet local housing needs, but if there are too many in one area or they are poorly designed, they can cause problems for neighbours. The draft guidance explains how the Council will assess applications, including issues such as:

• preventing too many HMOs in one area
• protecting neighbours from noise and disturbance
• ensuring rooms are a suitable size
• dealing with waste and recycling
• providing adequate parking
• making sure buildings are well designed

The Council wants to hear from local residents, businesses and other groups to make sure the guidance is fair, clear and reflects what matters most to the community.

To take part in the consultation visit https://spelthorne.inconsult.uk/HMOSPD/consultationHome.

All feedback received during the consultation period will be considered before the guidance is finalised.

To report an unlicensed HMO, visit www.spelthorne.gov.uk/report."

Unless the closing date is further extended (which we believe it should – see below), residents only have until Monday 26 January to respond to the Council’s consultation on its proposed revisions to parking arrangements in the Borough.

These revisions involve a wide range of changes to the ways that parking is managed and charged. Of particular interest to those in Lower Sunbury are proposals related to the village’s car parks. The most significant of these relates to the current initial free period of one hour’s parking before charges become applicable; as of July 2026 this free period will be reduced to 30 minutes, with charging after that time.

Of rather more concern are different proposals for two car parks, those at the Old Bathing Station in Fordbridge Road and in Green Street, within Sunbury Park. Unfortunately, just what these proposals are depends on which document one reads. A notice that has been displayed in the Green Street car park for several weeks, titled ‘NOTICE OF PROPOSALS’, states that from 16 July 2026 the parking charges for the periods ‘Up to 1 hour’, ‘Up to 2 hours’ and ‘Over 2 hours’ will become free. On the face of it this is excellent news for those who use it to go to the nearby pub, church and shops or to visit Sunbury Park for dog walking or enjoying the café and gallery in the Walled Garden.

However, it appears that this notice is hugely misleading and that the actual proposal is very different indeed. If one takes the trouble to go on to the Council’s website and access a different document, titled ‘THE SPELTHORNE BOROUGH COUNCIL (OFF-STREET PARKING PLACES ORDER - AMENDMENT NO.3) ORDER 2026’, one discovers amongst the long list of proposals the following paragraph:

‘Removal of Abbey Drive, Dumsey Meadow, Old Bathing Station and Green Street from Schedule 1 chargeable tariffs, and addition of the same car parks to Schedule 3 Free parking places with 30 minutes maximum stay.’

So what is actually being proposed is that the Old Bathing Station and Green Street car parks are indeed being made completely free – but one will only be able to park there for 30 minutes, after which, presumably, one will become liable for a significant fine! Given that 30 minutes is an unrealistically short time in which to achieve almost any of the activities noted above, this would seem to be a change that will simply result in drivers seeking to use free on-street parking spaces that are already in short supply for residents.

We believe that the misleading ‘Notice of Proposals’ displayed in the Green Street car park should be removed, corrected and re-displayed, with the consultation period further extended to allow residents to respond to what is really being proposed. In the meantime we urge everyone with views on the proposals to submit a response (to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) ahead of the current 26 January deadline.

As is widely known, this Association enthusiastically supports the retention of the Hazelwood Centre and its facilities for the benefit of the community whether for sport or leisure, see also notice published here on 21st December 2025.

The following update on the Hazelwood Centre has been forwarded to LOSRA by the London Irish Amateur Rugby Football Club (LIARFC) and we are pleased to reproduce it here:
 
It has been over two and a half years since the London Irish Professional rugby club regrettably ceased trading and the site was put into administration. But despite this the site has gone from strength to strength and transformed into a community hub for sports and social events.

It remains the home of the London Irish Amateur Rugby Club, with teams for boys and girls from 5 to 18, 3 adult men’s teams and the highly successful women’s team, currently riding high in the Championship, the second tier of the women’s game. They also run a local business network that meets once a month on a Tuesday evening connecting local businesses both within the club base and externally. 
 
But since the demise of the professional team, community usage has increased exponentially both from a sporting and social perspective. 
 
From a community sporting perspective: Hazelwood now hosts soccer training with NPL and Brentford Football Club’s community programme. It also hosts Gaelic football and hurling with its own resident club Gael London (adult and children) and acts as a training centre for the adult county team London GAA who compete in the All-Ireland Championships. The venue is also used by several schools, including Bishop Wand for their ACE rugby programme, Hawkdale primary school for their sports days, Halliford, St Paul’s and St George’s for rugby games and Surrey County for their cross country events with many local schools attending. 
 
The 300th Park Run at Hazelwood recently took place and they are always looking for more participants to enjoy the exercise (run or walk) and the excellent coffee every Saturday with the run/walk starting at 9am. 
 
From a social perspective, the Sunbury Parkinson Society (Sparkies) regularly meets, Hazelwood also hosts quiz and comedy nights plus a large number of parties, weddings, celebrations and other private functions. 
 
The site also remains as a training centre for professional sports, largely during the working day, with an elite gym run by Arete and from a Rugby perspective has seen England’s Women (The Roses), GB7’s, Canada Women (before the World Cup final), Fiji as well as various England age group teams, England A and indeed the England Referees all training at Hazelwood. It also enjoys visits from the England Lacrosse team.

Recently the London Broncos Rugby league team has adopted Hazelwood as its training base in their bid to get promoted back into the Super League. Hazelwood is now a fairly unique training ground supporting 4 codes of football with Soccer, Rugby Union, Rugby League and Gaelic.
 
Hazelwood is a thriving community asset and if you are looking for a venue for a party or celebration, want to participate in any of the sporting activities or fancy coming and supporting the rugby just reach out. There is even a wild sauna in the grounds now!

LOSRA has been approached for volunteers for a new local Good Neighbour Scheme to support residents who may need help with essential transport and day‑to‑day tasks. If you’re someone who values community connection and can spare a little time, this could be a meaningful way to make a difference. Please see the enquiry below from Lesley Worrall, Good Neighbour Schemes Officer for Surrey, for full details about the scheme and how to get involved.

For enquiries or to express interest, please contact at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 01483 447103.

"I have recently taken over as Good Neighbour Schemes Officer for Surrey and am looking to set up a scheme(s) in your area. I am reaching out to groups in Sunbury area (where there was previously a scheme) who may be able to spread the word in my search for volunteers. You may have potential volunteers in your organisation or you may be able to spread the word in your newsletters and publications. 

The Good Neighbour Scheme primarily offers transport via friendly volunteer drivers who can help clients attend medical appointments or perhaps help with shopping and collecting prescriptions etc. It would be a separate organisation set up and run but a volunteer committee and supported by Surrey Community Action. This support will be ongoing as long as necessary and would be instrumental in the setting up process including arranging the DBS requirement for the volunteers. The committee would be responsible for deciding the exact area in which they would operate but it is usually a small local area. They would then recruit volunteer drivers and ultimately find clients who want to register for the scheme.

The committee would spend a few hours (2 - 4) a week in the initial stages and would have rota to cover the Duty Officer role but ultimately they might then get together once a month for committee meetings. Volunteer drivers can do as few or as many hours as they wish on an ad hoc basis.

Any interested volunteers can contact me via email or phone and, as soon as there is some interest, I am happy to set up a meeting to discuss it with them further.

I would be grateful if you circulate the information and, if you would like to email me, I can send a suitable flyer for your community."

The following email has been received by the Hon. Chairman and are pleased to reproduce it here:

My name is Katharine and I work for Healthwatch Surrey. We go out and about in the community and listen to people’s experiences of health and social care.

We feedback to commissioners and providers of services, in the hope that we can improve services for Surrey residents. You can find out more about Healthwatch Surrey here: Home | Healthwatch Surrey

I have just launched a project looking at the health and wellbeing of people aged 50-66, around what they do to look after themselves, with a specific focus on Spelthorne and Elmbridge.

We are looking at these areas as Spelthorne is the borough with the poorest health outcomes, and Elmbridge  (although it’s not the best performing across Surrey) because it performs better than Spelthorne, and is similar in terms of bordering London.

I was wondering whether you would be able to share the link to our survey, or the flyers with members of the resident’s association or via your website? Would that be possible? If you have any meetings coming up in January, I’d be happy to come along. 

 https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/HWSyhealthwellbeing25-26/

  

Sunbury Cricket Club has had an enforced change of plan for the next Music Night on Friday 23^rd January, as unfortunately The Nashville Teens have had to pull out – singer Ray Phillips has had a knee operation, and his recovery is going a bit slower than hoped, so he is not sure he is going to be fit for the show, and decided to cancel sooner rather than later, so the Club could be sure of getting a replacement; and  hope to re-schedule the Nashville Teens show for the last Music Night of the winter.

In their place the Club has been fortunate to secure the services of the great blues singer and guitarist Papa George, playing at the Club once again with his own band. He did a rousing show with the same band line-up to a packed house about 18 months ago, so this is one not to be missed

Papa George is one of the great British blues troubadours, who has been a fixture on the club and festival circuit since the 1970s, and is sufficiently renowned to have been inducted into the Blues Hall Of Fame in the USA. He will be appearing with bass player Pete Stroud, well-known at the club from his appearances with Bad Influence, and, extraordinarily, a drummer also called Pete Stroud, formerly with Sassafras, who has played at the Club with Paul Cox, and is also a member of The Foundations. 

Muddy Waters’ guitarist Bob Margolin called George “A powerful deep blues player….a spectacular blues artist. He’s got power and nuance as a master entertainer”. Broadcaster Bob Harris says George plays “electric blues at its very best”. There’s more information at www.papageorge.co.uk.

Hot food, prepared by our resident caterers Surplus To Supper, will be available as usual from about 6.30pm, with the band on stage around 8.30 pm or soon after, so we hope you can make it. We look forward to seeing you there.