Welcome to the LOSRA Website
As with any other local neighbourhood, the policies and actions which affect the character and future of Lower Sunbury are generally framed and implemented by a combination of local and national government, along with the vested interests and market forces which operate within those frameworks. Lower Sunbury is by no means unique in being under threat from a creaking infrastructure brought about by rapid urban development, the growth of traffic, and other pressures affecting the quality of life and the character of the area.
Working with the local authorities, we see it as the responsibility of residents’ and amenity groups such as LOSRA to address the underlying issues which fundamentally affect their members’ lives, as well as the minutiae of everyday life with which such groups are often concerned.
Please sign up to receive our regular e-bulletins by subscribing via the facility at the top left hand of this page. It goes without saying that, without your continued support we would cease to function so we urge you to join, or renew your membership now Subscriptions (£5 per household) for 2025 are now payable.
New Application to Develop Thameside Sports Stadium
Willmott Dixon, the construction company currently contracted by Elmbridge Council to do the remediation works at the sports stadium on the Walton side of the Thames has now submitted a new planning application -this time in their name and not that of Elmbridge Borough Council - which is available to view at www.elmbridge.gov.uk/planning Application ref: 2016/3371. Objections to the application may be made by simply going on to the yellow comment bubble.
The proposal is not materially different from the planning application that local 'Save our Thames Side' campaign group has been fighting for the last 4 years and which is currently under judicial review at the High Court.
Objections do not need to involve in-depth analysis but must be confined to planning reasons which, for those of us who live north of the river, would include: building on the green belt; light pollution; noise pollution (especially over water); or environmental damage.
The Dave Kelly Band Makes Welcome Return to Sunbury Cricket Club, 11th November
The next Music Night at the SCC falls on Friday 11th November and it sees the welcome return of The Dave Kelly Band. Dave has been a leading figure of the UK blues scene for 40 years, and is one of the country’s finest slide guitarists. During the ‘60s blues boom he joined The John Dummer Blues Band as vocalist and guitarist alongside his late lamented sister Jo-Ann Kelly, and toured the UK backing John Lee Hooker and Howlin’ Wolf, before he and Jo Ann formed Tramp with Tony McPhee. In 1979 he founded The Blues Band with Paul Jones, Hughie Flint & Tom McGuinness, former members of Manfred Mann and McGuinness Flint, and they are still the UK’s top blues attraction.
His own band is quite a family affair, with Pete Emery on lead guitar – husband of Dave’s late sister Jo-Ann, and another Dummer Band veteran – along with Dave’s son Sam Kelly on drums. Sam often deputises for Rob Townsend in the Blues Band. Homer Kelly-Tarrant is on bass guitar – he tours regularly with Dave & Christine Collister. Keyboard player Lou Stonebridge was with Glass Menagerie, Paladin and McGuinness Flint, and produced the first two Blues Band albums.
An evening of absolutely top class blues is guaranteed, and the Club is fortunate to welcome an artist of Dave’s stature to Sunbury once again. For more info and great YouTube videos just Google Dave Kelly.
Please Sign Petition to Save 555 Bus Service
Readers of the Sunbury Facebook page will already be aware of the petition to save this and other Abellio services.
These services include access to Heathrow as well as schools colleges and towns around Surrey, and, critically, St. Peter's Hospital.
You are invited to add your name by the closing date of 7th November by clicking on this link
Autumn Newsletter Now with the Printers
Our Autumn newsletter, currently with the printers, will be distributed to all households during the first couple of weeks in November.
Sunbury Health Centre, Patient Participation Group (PPG) - Open Meeting, 7th November
Sunbury Health Centre's Patient Participation Group (PPG) was established two years ago to represent patients of the Centre, receive input from local people about the Centre's services, and to provide its patients with news and information on what SHC does, and how it is changing.
The PPG works closely in partnership with the Practice to help drive much needed change forward. Open Meetings are held three times a year where all patients are welcome to come along to hear about the many developments and improvements that have been made and understand the challenges facing SHC. It is also an opportunity to voice your views and ideas.
Patients are invited to attend the next open meeting which will take place at the Health Centre from 6.30pm - 7.30pm on Monday 7th November.
Working to Make Surrey Prepared
Would you like to help your home and the community you live in be prepared for anything, from flooding to very cold weather? A new initiative, Surrey Prepared, aims to help people in Surrey do just that by providing the information and resources they need to help make their communities stronger and more resilient.
Unfortunately major incidents can and do happen in Surrey – just two and a half years ago the county experienced such severe flooding that the army was called in to provide support. We’ve seen that communities who come together during incidents are better off, whether from how they dealt with the outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease to the way communities respond to large fires.
Surrey County Council has worked with its partners to launch the Surrey Community Resilience Partnership. The partnership will help communities build resilience and protect homes under the Surrey Prepared initiative, with everything from advice on developing a community emergency plan to training, resources to help you prepare for major incidents and even help with getting funding to help make your community more resilient. The aim is to support households and communities to prepare in advance of any incident so they are safer and better informed, as well as encouraging stronger communities all year round.
Click here to find out how you can get involved or follow @SurreyPrepared on Twitter.
More...
AGE UK is Here to Help
A phone call can make so much difference …
By calling 01784 444 200 or visiting our website www.ageukrs.org.uk you can access emotional support and real practical help - some services are free and some paid for.
From information and advice on a range of topics such as benefit payments, to help at home (e.g. handyperson, shopping, cleaning etc.) and companionship (befriending, social activities).
If you live in Runnymede and Spelthorne and are aged 50 and above, contact us.
Whatever your need, we are here to help.
Andrew McCormack, Pianist, at Riverside Arts Jazz, 6th November
Andrew McCormack is a composer and pianist who is realising the best work of his career, thus far. Since bursting on to the scene in 2007 with his debut album, Telescope, McCormack has been the driving force behind A-list jazz artists Kyle Eastwood, Eric Alexander, Denys Baptiste and Jean Toussaint as well as a host of home-grown talent including Jamie Cullum and Jason Yarde.
He has been performing extensively around the world, and selected the UK as the starting point in support of his critically acclaimed latest album, First Light.
The new trio album, written and recorded in Brooklyn, New York, represents perhaps McCormack's greatest achievement to date in his composition and performance - recognised as such by critics, musicians and the public - placing him comfortably and confidently on a worldwide stage.
Developing and honing a skillfully original approach to writing and performance in the jazz tradition, McCormack has captivated audiences with his emotional and expressive style; combined with a yearning, emotive aesthetic which might be best described as quintessentially British.
His move to New York has added an even greater sense of swing, dynamic group interplay and a mesmeric live sound. The result is a world-class pianist and formidable composer, who has arguably earned a seat at the top of the jazz trio talent roster anywhere around the globe.
The performance will start at 7.30pm on 6th November at the Riverside Arts Centre, 59, Thames Street. Tickets £10 on the door or £8 in advance via website: www.moodindigoevents.co.uk.
Save our Thames Side
LOSRA is pleased to support local residents’ crowdfunding campaign to challenge Elmbridge Council’s decision to grant itself planning permission for a huge sports stadium in the green belt, next to the river Thames.
We think this is inappropriate development which will wreck the tranquility, views and enjoyment of one of the most beautiful stretches of the River Thames, popular with cyclists, walkers and boaters alike.
Matches and crowds will create noise disturbance on both sides of the river, but ironically the Council says they cannot use acoustic screening, because that would conflict with the ‘openness’ of the Green Belt area.
Over 2,500 local people have already signed a petition calling on Elmbridge Council to remove the floodlighting and look for alternative sites away from the banks of the Thames, but the Council brushed it aside. Only a Judicial Review will stop this going ahead and cause the Council to rethink this scheme and prevent this tragic loss of green open space for future generations. The hearing date has been set for 6 December at the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand.
You can help make this a reality by pledging what you can to save the Green Belt, the river Thames landscape, the wetlands wildlife, the dark skies, access to the countryside, the peace and tranquility of the Thames Path and riverside pubs, and the picturesque setting of the historic village of Sunbury-on-Thames.
Just click on the link: https://www.crowdjustice.co.uk/case/you-can-help/
Sunbury Sports Association
It would seem to be a little known fact that the Club is open all through the winter with bar opening hours to suit the change in the pattern of usage of the pavilion.
Hall Bookings
The hall can comfortably seat 80 for dinner, or more for a buffet style event. Discounted hall booking fees are available to members. Hall bookings to 01932 783133.
Hall Hire Opportunities: The hall is available to hire throughout the winter, more so than the summer. The hall is available to hirers on from Tuesday to Saturday evenings and also on weekend afternoons which are ideal for Christenings and children's birthday parties. These afternoons are bookable through to early April when summer activities resume.
Christmas Parties: The hall is available on weekday and weekend evenings for Christmas parties. Anything from a full Christmas dinner menu through to a finger buffet can be provided. Party organisers may bring in their own cold food, but hygiene regulations do not allow the use of the kitchen by hirers. More details are available on request.
BT Sport, Sky Sports and Terrestrial Channels
The Club is now able to offer a wide range of matches to view on our television screens. It is also planned to have a big screen available in the hall shortly.
This selection of channels means that we are able to offer, for example, key Premiership, FA Cup and Champions' League matches during the week and at weekends. We also screen the Autumn Rugby Internationals and the RBS Six Nations Tournament in February and March. Other sporting events can be televised as and when the opportunities arise. All reasonable requests will be considered. Major matches are supported with free bar nibbles and the bar is well patronised.
Start studying those TV schedules now or follow us on Twitter @AtSunburySports or @SunburyCC.
Winter Bar Opening Hours
Following last year's trial the bar will again be closed on Mondays. Other arrangements will obtain over the Christmas and New Year periods and these will be publicised as and when.
Otherwise the following bar hours will operate from Tuesday 4th October:
| Days | Open | Close | Bar closing notes |
| Tuesday - Thursday | 7:00pm | 10:30pm | Close 9:30 in the absence of viable custom |
| Friday | 7:00pm | Midnight | Close 9:30 in the absence of viable custom |
| Saturday | Noon | Midnight | Close 9:30 in the absence of viable custom |
| Sunday | Noon | 3:30pm | Bar will stay open until the completion of major matches; or later subject to viable custom. Bar must close at 10:30pm latest. |
Spelthorne Council grants applications 2017-18 now invited
The Council has an annual grant process for providing financial support to local voluntary groups and clubs. Individuals may also apply if they are setting up a community activity/event that will benefit Spelthorne residents.
Applications are now invited for financial year 2017-18 (starts April 2017).
Deadline for revenue grant applications is 16 November.
Applications are considered in November each year, for revenue grants to be paid in the following April. Applications will thereafter be accepted throughout the year until all funds have been allocated.
For more information about the grants criteria or to submit an application click here
Walled Garden Car Park to be Closed, 9th - 13th & 23rd - 28th October
Ms Terri Aston, Senior Parking Administrator, Spelthorne Borough Council advises us that The Walled Garden car park will be closed for tree work to be carried out from 6.00pm on the 9th until 13th October inclusive. The car park will close from 6.00pm on the Sunday 9th so that all the pedestrian and vehicle access can be blocked off ready for the tree surgeons to start work on the Monday morning.
The Council will then need to close The walled Garden Car Park from 6.00pm Sunday 23rd to 28 October 2016 inclusive for the following maintenance work:
- Resurface the car park
- Remove white marks from the walls
- Update Signs
- Replace Pillars
- Remove the number and resident bays
- Remark the parking bays.
The gardens and café will still be open to the public and can be accessed from Orchard meadow and Green Street/Sunbury Park car park but access via The Walled Garden car park will not be possible.
London Irish Apply for 50 Seater Moveable Stand at Hazelwood
Many residents, and especially those who were involved in the original application by London Irish to develop the Hazelwood golf course, will already have received notice of the application to install a moveable 50 seater covered stand on the north side of the main pitch.
LOSRA Committee members met with the applicants on Thursday 29th September and were given a full explanation of the reasons behind the application which are summarised in the application thus:
"In order to provide a very small amount of seating, particularly for our less well able members and to ensure full compliance with disability discrimination legislation the proposal is to erect a 50 seat covered stand on the north side of our main pitch between the 10m line and the 22m line. The dimensions of the stand are 6617mm long by 3000mm wide and 2927mm high.
"The stand is a simple covered seating area that is pre-fabricated and delivered as one piece and fixed to the ground. It will be painted green on the outside to blend with the surroundings and the seats will be of a similar green colour." [NB. On visiting the site it would appear that the stand is actually intended to be positioned on the west (not the north} side of the main pitch].
LOSRA has absolutely no reason to doubt the good faith of the Amateur Club who are sponsoring this application but we would remind residents, (and especially those who were actively involved in the Hazelwood Action Group (HAG)) that in order to protect the tranquility of the cemetery and living conditions of nearby residents, we secured this important condition at the 2011 Public Inquiry:
'Notwithstanding the provisions of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (or any order revoking and re-enacting that Order with or without modification), no moveable structure for the use of spectator accommodation shall be erected on the land'. Reason: 'to ensure that the noise scenarios remain accurate and valid, in the interests of protecting the amenity of visitors to the nearby cemetery and the living conditions of nearby residents'.
LOSRA will be making a representation before the closing date of 6th October but it's important that individual residents should also make their views known by visiting http://my.spelthorne.gov.uk/planning/ and commenting on planning reference 16/01495/FUL.
Council Purchases BP Campus in Sunbury
The following press release has just been issued by Spelthorne Council:
Beating national and international competition, Spelthorne Borough Council has purchased the BP campus in Sunbury-on-Thames.
The funding given to Spelthorne Borough Council by central Government will be withdrawn completely in 2017-18, a situation which is forcing Spelthorne to find innovative ways to fund services and create new revenue streams, whilst continuing to keep a tight control on costs.
To fund the project, Spelthorne Borough Council has borrowed money at a very competitive rate of interest from the Public Works Loans Board (PWLB).
Under the terms of the agreement, BP will remain as tenants at the Sunbury site, leasing back the offices from Spelthorne Borough Council for a minimum period of 20 years. The arrangement will generate a significant income for the Council year on year.
The BP campus is the largest privately owned office park in the UK and is currently home to approximately 3,000 employees. The site comprises 11 office buildings which provide 620,000 sq ft of accommodation, with surrounding land and car parks.
The purchase was recently approved by Spelthorne Borough Council and BP and encompasses the entire campus, excluding the South West corner. The acquisition forms a key part of the Council’s strategy to develop new ways of generating long term income streams to protect its services.
Cllr Ian Harvey, Leader of Spelthorne Borough Council, said: “Securing the Council’s financial stability is our highest priority and after exploring several options and taking advice from a number of independent experts, we are confident that this forward-thinking agreement represents a very sound investment for Spelthorne. It will be key in helping us to close the budget gap and protect the vital services which our residents and businesses need and deserve. We have had an excellent relationship with BP for many years and we are very pleased to be working with them on this exciting initiative.”
Peter Mather, Head of Country UK, BP, said: “For almost 100 years BP has had a significant presence at Sunbury-on-Thames. Here we have conducted research, developed leading technologies, and run our global businesses. We are pleased to commit to at least a further 20 years at the site through this new and exciting long-term relationship with Spelthorne Borough Council.”
