Following the refusal on appeal of an 87 unit development in 2011, Linden Homes won unanimous approval for a much more modest proposal for 37 units at Planning Committee on Wednesday night. (See article 8th February).

From the very outset, LOSRA and CAROD (Campaign Against Riverside Over-development) have been involved in helping to shape the plan which went before Planning Committee.

Linden Homes are to be congratulated for ensuring that the consultation was in every sense participative and included the choice of architects for the scheme, the numerous site meetings, public exhibitions and the detailed designs.

At every turn the views and preferences of the residents were taken fully into account and Linden Homes could hardly be criticised if they had done much less.

It was a welcome, if unfamiliar, pleasure for LOSRA to attend Committee to speak in support of an application which had won the overwhelming support of its membership.

Will writing, landscaping and roof-cleaning are all featured in the latest Trading Standards Alert together with useful information on product recalls.

To view, click here

Well, what a night was to be had on Friday for Buddy Whittington. It was superb in just about every way, a great house - just a few over 150 - but everyone who wanted a seat got one, and it made for a great sense of occasion, which was matched by a quite sensational performance from Buddy, who once again made himself readily available to chat to everyone and sign CDs. The Club is very grateful to Brett Todd for promoting the gig, and taking the risk with it, and many thanks to everyone who came to make it such a marvellous event - certainly one of the best we've had.

Buddy will be a hard act to follow, but next week's band, Debbie Giles & Midnight Train, will have a pretty fair shot at it when making their debut at the Club a week on Friday, the 19th April. They are a thoroughly professional funk, soul, R&B and blues outfit, who regularly play at the most highly-regarded venues around the country - any band that gets bookings back time and again to The Malt Shovel in Northampton, probably the top blues venue in the UK, definitely knows what they're doing. 

All the members have impeccable musical CVs - Debbie herself was on the West End stage before returning to her first love of the blues, while drummer Sam Kelly has been voted "Drummer of the Year" for five years running by Blues Connection. Guitarist Pete Emery played in the celebrated John Dummer Blues Band alongside Dave Kelly (long-time member of The Blues Band), and keyboard player Steve Oakman, who has toured with many famous names, is the son of Pete Oakman, member of Joe Brown's Bruvvers and writer of "Picture Of You" . Bass player Chris Belshaw likewise has played with a host of top names.

There is a load of information, music samples and video clips on their excellent web site at www.midnighttrain.co.uk, so please check them out. The Club very much look forward to seeing you there.

The following email from the Council was received by LOSRA. Both formally and informally we are often contacted by residents complaining about the minority of dog-walkers who, despite knowing perfectly well their responsibilities to clear up their dog's faeces, continue to allow our beautiful park to be fouled.

Those responsible should heed the Council's email as a warning. Dog-fouling in our parks and open spaces has been a specific bye-law offence since 2011.

Spring in Spelthorne’s parks

With the warmer weather, we hope, finally approaching, it is time to get out an about and enjoy the pleasure that Spelthorne’s parks can bring.

Spelthorne has parks in:

• Ashford
  
• Laleham
  
• Shepperton
  
• Staines
  
• Stanwell
  
• Sunbury

These parks are there for everyone to enjoy. There are a few simple rules to remember so that the pleasure can be maximised for everyone.

Firstly please do not light barbecues in the parks or any kind of fire. This is not permitted in any of Spelthorne’s parks.

Please clear up any dog mess and either put it in the bins provided, or take it home. Most dog owners are responsible and make sure they do this. However there are a few who don’t pick up after their dogs and mess things up for everyone as well as leaving behind a health hazard – particularly to young children.

Reduce complaints about dogs and their owners in your local community by keeping public spaces foul free.

Cllr Tony Mitchell, Cabinet Member for the Environment said: “The Council provides parks for everyone to enjoy. Dog mess both blights areas as well as being potentially very dangerous and it is vital that people clear up after their animals.

“If you want to barbecue, please don’t do so in our parks. We want to keep them free from the risk of fire and available in what we hope will be a sunny summer.”

Back on 5th March we published an appeal for volunteers to join Thames 21 in a clean up Sunbury Lock Island. Those who came will remember the remorselessly cold day it was too. Thames 21 will again be coming to Sunbury Lock Island on Sunday 28th April from 10am - 1pm. This location is a charming part of the Lower Sunbury riverscape and we are being asked to join a team to give it a clean-up and to help manage the vegetation.

Volunteers are asked to report to the footbridge ahead of the lock at 10am. Old clothes recommended but all necessary equipment will be provided.

Details of the public events are also on the Thames21 website www.thames21.org.uk/events/

Future diary dates for Sunbury Lock Island fall on 19th May and 19th June.

Sunbury Cricket Club is holding an Open Day on Sunday 14th April to launch their 75th Anniversary celebrations from 12:30 and to which LOSRA members and other Sunbury residents are invited.

There will be a colts practice and recruitment morning from 10:00 am until noon. A President's XI will be playing the Club from 1:00 am. The toss will be conducted by the Mayor of Spelthorne on behalf of the home captain. A match will also be taking place on the second square.

The Club was started by four schoolboys at the Cedars recreation ground in 1938 to become one of the strongest in Surrey and the South East playing in the Premier Division of the Surrey Championship. The club has been a strong contender for the Championship of late finishing in 2nd or 3rd places in each of the last four years. It has also introduced thousands of boys and girls from the age of 5 upwards to the joys of cricket with a current colts’ membership of 250, some of the best of whom progress to play at county and international level.

A book on the history of the Club, running to some 230 pages and including some 150 photographs, will be available for sale. Applications for membership will be welcome.

Full details of the Anniversary year are at www.sunburycricket.co.uk/anniversary75.php.

Further details from Peter Browne at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Club is on the Lower Hampton Road between Harefield Road and Kenton Avenue. Post code: TW16 5PS.

It is a matter of personal regret to the Chairman of LOSRA that the Surrey Herald saw fit to edit his fortnightly community column in this week's edition, most especially as it was a valedictory piece on one of our local ward councillors. For those of our readers who bought a copy and could not make sense of it, the following is the original unedited version:

Apart from what I’ve read in the paper I can’t be sure of the reasons that lay behind the recent changes within Spelthorne Council’s political landscape but I do find the whole business just a little unsettling and the electorate will doubtless hope that the internecine warfare will quickly subside; and that our elected representatives will get on seamlessly with the business of local government.

In my experience, I don’t see much public interest in the credulously malign accusations or innuendo which ebb and flow between one party and another. Yah-boo politics is as dreary as it is self-serving. A committed councillor, regardless of party affiliation, is one whose pre-occupation is the next generation rather than the next election; and those whose philosophy embraces the former will more usually be rewarded by the latter.

I discovered that coincident upon, though quite unconnected to, the recent political upheavals, our local ward councillor, Caroline Nichols is to resign her seat on both the Borough and County Councils.

She was a very committed, resolute and hard working local councillor who exhibited precisely the quality which I have described and one, I guess, which we should have a right to expect from all our local councillors of whatever political hue. Oh yes.... and she also had the virtue of not being house trained. Party politics was always secondary to her primary concern of what she believed to be right for the Lower Sunbury community and beyond. She took the capital ‘P’ out of politics and she was loved for it. She goes for personal and family reasons and it’s typical of her that she would not be content to continue in a job to which she could not give her full devotion. Farewell Caroline.

On Friday week, the 5th April, Sunbury Cricket Club has one of its biggest gigs of the year when once again they welcome the great Texan blues guitarist, singer and songwriter Buddy Whittington, former long-time member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, who is returning to the Club during his current European tour, having given us an extraordinary evening on his first visit in November 2011. It's very special to have an artist of Buddy's stature playing at the Club, and Brett Todd is to be thanked for arranging and promoting this gig. Darby Todd is once again playing drums with Buddy, with Pete Stroud on bass. There is full information, with video clips, on his web site at www.buddywhittington.com.

SCC are naturally expecting a sizeable turnout for this show, but have decided not to sell tickets in advance, as the administration involved is too difficult to handle. The Club will be setting the room out theatre-style, and will be bringing in extra chairs, so that they should be able to accommodate everyone who wants to come in reasonable comfort. It promises to be another memorable night and the Club very much looks forward to seeing you there.