Welcome to the LOSRA Website
Like any local community, the policies and decisions shaping the character and future of Lower Sunbury are influenced by a combination of local and national government initiatives, alongside market forces and vested interests operating within these frameworks. As with many areas, Lower Sunbury faces challenges stemming from an aging infrastructure, rapid urban development, increasing traffic congestion, and other pressures that impact both quality of life and the distinctive character of the neighbourhood.
In collaboration with local authorities, other residents’ associations and amenity groups, LOSRA plays a vital role in addressing fundamental issues that affect its members' lives. This organisation not only engages with broader strategic concerns but also focuses on the everyday matters that shape community well-being.
To stay informed, we encourage you to subscribe to our regular e-bulletins via the link at the top left of this page. Your continued support is essential to our efforts, and we urge you to join or renew your membership. Subscriptions for 2026 are now payable at £5 per household. Donations are also welcome.
Have you visited the Embroidery Gallery lately? See what's Happening
Exhibiting art that appeals to a multitude of senses and is inclusive to all. This was the challenge the Embroidery Gallery gave to teachers and pupils from Manor Mead and Sunbury Manor schools. The brief was to design and create a visual and tactile art piece with an audio component. The project was led by artist Stuart Simler. The finished work sits alongside a prestigious collection produced by blind artists. The collection is on loan from Moorfields Eye hospital to which it was donated by BlindArt, a registered charity.
The Event closes on 1st September.
Click here to see the autumn brochure giving details of other events and workshops at the Gallery
Trading Standards Alerts
The following are excerpts from the latest Trading Standards Alert:
Scams
Consumers are being cold called and offered savings for radiators and windows. The Government is running a savings scheme but beware of companies trying to associate themselves with the Government scheme to con consumers out of money. Credit card details and payment are reported to have been requested over the telephone in this alleged scam.
The usual “inheritance” scams are continuing to operate and our advice is to report and dispose of such letters coming from the Netherlands, Hong Kong and The USA.
When was the last time you asked your elderly neighbour, friend or relative about scam mail? Would they let you look at some of the letters they receive? Many scams carry on for years because of a lack of support or intervention so please help the vulnerable if you can.
Consumers who may have been a victim of a scam can report the matter to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 08454 04 05 06. Friends relatives or neighbours can also do this on the consumer’s behalf if the consumer is vulnerable or feels uncomfortable doing so.
The King Earl Boogie Band at Sunbury Cricket Club, 6th September
The evenings are drawing in and autumn is just around the corner which means that the first Sunbury Cricket Club Music Night of the new season is less than two weeks away.
On Friday 6th September Sunbury Cricket Club is delighted to welcome, for the first time, THE KING EARL BOOGIE BAND. The Club wanted to kick off the autumn run of gigs with something special, and has been trying to book this band for some time. They are a rocking, bluesy outfit whose blend of straight ahead blues, r’n’b, and rock’n’roll has earned them a reputation that gets them booked back at venue after venue. They have played UK festivals like the Great British R’n’B Festival (Colne, Lancashire), Blues At The Fort (Portsmouth) and Maryport Blues Festival (Cumbria), and also at a range of festivals across Europe in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.
The Club looks forward to seeing you on 6th Sept. and hope you will support them through the autumn season.
Fire Stations in Spelthorne - Have Your Say
The following email has been received from Surrey County Council and is self-explanatory. Readers are being asked to submit their views on the proposal to reduce the number of fire stations within Spelthorne from two to a single, centralised facility.
I am writing to ask for your input on important proposals regarding how fire and rescue services will be provided in the Spelthorne area.
As you may recall, in Surrey Fire and Rescue Authority’s Public Safety Plan for 2011 – 2020, we proposed changing the way fire stations in Spelthorne are crewed and also the location of some of our fire stations in order to achieve a more balanced level of emergency cover across Surrey.
Currently there are two fire stations in Spelthorne – Staines and Sunbury – both providing 24-hour emergency cover with one fire engine each. To continue to provide an effective fire and rescue service within the resources available, the Service now needs to consider the provision of one fire engine in Spelthorne, located more centrally within the Borough.
The benefits of this proposal are the more efficient use of resources across the whole of Surrey and the provision of a new, modern fire station.
Today (5 August 2013), marks the start of a thirteen-week consultation with residents, businesses, staff and unions. Further details about the proposed changes are available at www.surrey-fire.gov.uk/psp.
Please do take the time to give us your views via the online questionnaire and encourage your local residents to do the same. Please contact us if you require postal questionnaires. You can also feedback via these additional channels:
- Email comments to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Write to us at: Public Safety Plan team, Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, Croydon Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 0EJ
- Call us on 03456 009 009
- Minicom: 020 8541 9698
- SMS: 07527 182 861
- Fax us on 01737 222857
Your feedback and our analysis will be presented to Surrey County Council’s Cabinet at the end of 2013 for decision.
I would like to take this opportunity to personally reassure all our stakeholders that we will continue to work together to provide essential and excellent fire and rescue services throughout the borough. The safety of the public and our firefighters is, and always will be, the top priority for our service.
Kay Hammond
Cabinet Associate Fire and Police Services
Surrey County Council
Spelthorne Council Announces Death of Mayor in Office
It is with deep regret that Spelthorne Council announces the death of the Mayor of Spelthorne, Cllr Isobel Napper.
Cllr Napper was first elected as a Conservative member of the Council for the Riverside and Laleham Ward in May 1999 and she continued to represent the Ward until her death on 20 August.
In May 2013 she was appointed as Mayor of the Borough. During her time in office she was dedicated to meeting Spelthorne residents, supporting local organisations and raising money for her chosen charities – Staines Army Cadets, DayBreak and Ashford Hospital Breast Care Unit.
She served on several committees within the Council, the most recent being the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Licensing Committee. An active member of the local community, Cllr Napper was Chairman for Voluntary Action in Spelthorne and the Spelthorne Social Club for the Blind and Partially Sighted.
Cllr Napper devoted her life to local politics and worked tirelessly to represent the interests of her constituents during her fourteen years’ service. She lived in Spelthorne for 47 years and enjoyed a career in nursing before working as a Secretary. She is survived by Tom, a retired stonemason, her three children, Nancy, Denise, and Tom and grandchildren.
Popular Local Hairdresser Returns to the Village
Many Sunbury residents will know Irving Childs and his son Saul who ran the Saul Irving hairdressing salon in Thames Street until Irving retired a couple of years ago – Saul had not been able to work for several years because of a serious back injury. When he retired, Irving, who for many years had been a stalwart of the Sunbury Business Community, rented out his shop to a lady to keep running a hairdressers there and take advantage of the goodwill that had been established. However, it seems that things have not worked out and Irving found it necessary to take legal action to recover monies owed from the sale of the business. The tenant has now left and declared herself bankrupt, and in removing her fixtures and fittings, caused considerable damage to the shop, as well as putting unpleasant posters in the shop window which several residents have reported to us. Saul is now happily well enough to re-open the salon as his own business, with the assistance of Carley and Karen.
The new telephone number will be posted on the website (www.saulhairdesign.com) and also the shop window from this Thursday, 22nd August, 2013. Any clients with existing appointments are urged to contact Saul on 07525 360517.
More...
Sightlines at Harfield Road j/w Lower Hampton Road
Following numerous complaints from local residents, local County Councillor, Tim Evans, has now arranged with Surrey Highways to place double yellow lines around the north corner of Lower Hampton Road and a little way up the west side of Harfield Road.
This safety measure will be ratified by the Spelthorne Local Committee in 2014. Thereafter, next summer (mid June probably) statutory notices will be placed asking if there are any objections. Assuming there are none of substance, the yellow lines will be laid down about this time next year.
Hydropower Project at Sunbury Weir Invalidated by Elmbridge Council
The LOSRA Chairman makes the following announcement in relation to the controversial hydropower project at Sunbury Weir:
“Spelthorne Borough Council were a consultee regarding the Application by HP Projects for a hydropower scheme at Sunbury Weir, and Spelthorne Council members had “called-in” this matter to the full Planning Committee. LOSRA and others had raised queries about some of the plans submitted by the Applicant is support of this hydropower scheme. The Head of Planning at Spelthorne told us that Elmbridge Borough Council (in whose area the scheme falls) also have an issue with the plans and the level of information and detail they have been given by HP Projects. When Spelthorne spoke to them, Elmbridge confirmed that they have now invalidated the Application until they have the information. We will all be re-consulted once the Application is validated again. On this basis it will not go to the Spelthorne Planning Committee on 28 August as originally intended."
This Site will be updated just as soon as more information becomes available.
A Good Day at the Sunbury Regatta
It was good to see so many familiar faces visiting our stall at the Sunbury Regatta. Some came to join our Association, others to renew their memberships, and many just dropping by, in search of information or simply to discuss their concerns.
Now celebrating our 40th Anniversary as a fully constituted Association and, working with our local authority and other agencies, we continue to work tirelessly in doing what we can to preserve or enhance the amenities enjoyed by the Lower Sunbury community.
Our officers and committee are all volunteers who dedicate their time and energies to further the aims and objectives of the Association; and our future depends upon your continued support. If you are not a member or have forgotten to renew your membership for 2013, please either join or renew now. Annual membership has remained unchanged for the last 7 years and, at £5, costs about the same as a pint and a half of low strength beer. You may join or renew membership via the Paypal button on the Home Page or, alternatively, by leaving your subscription at the Post Office in Avenue Parade or at Twirltours Travel Agents in Green Street. We are of course very grateful to all those who have supported the Association today and over the many years of our existence.
Green Belt Development - a Prospect for Kempton Park?
On Tuesday 13th August, having heard about the possibility of developing part of the Kempton Park site, LOSRA met the Managing Director of the Racecourse site and consultants retained by The Jockey Club. They had no specific plans to show and no numbers were mentioned. The MD and consultants explained their position and we put ours to them. Spelthorne Council have set up an all-party Steering Group to handle their interest in this matter.
It will come as no surprise that LOSRA's position, in view of this initial consultation and with no detail available, is that Lower Sunbury residents’ concerns could, in the main, probably be summed up in two words: Green Belt. It is clear, however, that this is likely to be a very complex issue, as it may well coincide with another planning application just north of the A 316.
There is another meeting tentatively planned for late September. This site will be updated as and when more information becomes available.
Community Infrastructure Levy - Public Consultation
The period for consulting on the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Preliminary Draft Charging Schedule which started on 2 July has now concluded (see: http://www.spelthorne.gov.uk/article/3014/Consultations-and-representations) and LOSRA has made the following submission.
We are very grateful to those local residents who spared a few minutes of their time to assist in our Thames foot/cycle bridge survey. The very positive results have been attached to our submission.
Crash at Sunbury Cross Roundabout - Subway Closed
The Sunbury Cross Subway has been closed to pedestrians as result of damage caused by a vehicle collision late last week. An uninsured and unroadworthy (no MOT) skip lorry suffered brake failure and went across the roundabout dramatically damaging the control boxes, ripping out the electricity supply and telemetry so essential to the operation of the subway pumps. It was fortunate that there were no personal injuries as the control box ended up down in the subway.
The subway is below ground water level and, to facilitate pedestrian passage, the pumps should work continuously. Pump Services were immediately called out but cannot repair the extensive damage for another 10 days as the parts are not immediately available. An attempt was made over the weekend to use a pump truck, under a lane closure on the roundabout, but the knee-height level of water together with the rainfall meant that this had to be stopped. The subway is therefore not currently safe for pedestrian use.
10th August 2013 - 10 Days to go...
Be sure to visit the LOSRA stand at this year's Sunbury Regatta which is being held on Sunday 10th August at Rivermead Island, Thames Street. Exclusive Sunbury tea towels, copies of the Sunbury Trail booklet and postcards will be on sale and, for those who have yet to do so, an opportunity renew their 2013 memberships.
The Regatta itself will feature the usual Club and local skiff, punt and dongola racing; tug of war, stalls, entertainments, bars, fresh food and much more besides. The day will end with the illuminated sail-past and firework extravaganza.
Altogether, a fun day out for all, young or old, on Sunbury's foremost summer calendar event.
Website Update - Cold Callers - Doorstep Crime Special
This Trading Standards Alert deals exhaustively with the whole subject of cold callers, the tricks of their trades and your rights under the law. For a full view of this Alert, click here
