LOSRA has received the following email from Surrey County Council and it is reproduced here for the information of residents:

Later this month, Surrey will be at the heart of historic celebrations to mark 800 years of Magna Carta. A national commemoration event, attended by HM the Queen and other dignitaries from the UK and throughout the world, will be held at Runnymede Meadows on Monday 15 June – exactly 800 years after the Magna Carta was sealed in the same location.

How will roads be affected by the event on Monday 15 June?
In the lead up to and on the day of the event there are planned closures on the A308 Windsor Road. Diversions will be in place, but the roads will be very busy so we are encouraging residents to plan ahead to try and avoid the area, especially during the morning of Monday 15 June. From 1am on Monday 15 June there will also be parking restrictions in place on a small number of roads in Egham, Englefield Green and Old Windsor.

Can residents attend the event?
For safety and security reasons the event is invitation only, but there will be large TV screens on the meadow near the National Trust lodges at Runnymede where residents are welcome to watch the ceremony. Please bear in mind that the usual access routes will be extremely restricted throughout the day on Monday 15 June, and that the National Trust car parks at Runnymede and the nearby Runnymede Pleasure Grounds car park will be closed. The easiest way to get to the site will be to use local footpaths, which will remain open.

Thank you for your support in keeping residents informed about the planned road closures, and please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions at all. For more information please visit surreycc.gov.uk/magnacarta, or follow @SurreyTravel on Twitter for live travel updates on the day of the event.

Kind regards,

The Magna Carta team
Surrey County Council

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Telephone: 03456 009 009
SMS: 07527 182 861

Residents in Stratton Road and adjacent streets have expressed concern about the intended expansion from 90 to 210 pupils at Hawkedale School. Whilst it is recognised that existing school capacities are not going to meet the needs of increasing populations especially in the south east, there is anxiety over the adverse impact on traffic and parking in these quiet residential roads.

To answer these concerns, a public meeting will be held at Hawkedale Infants School on Wednesday 17th June at 7pm. All local residents and other interested parties are welcome.

The Association will be holding its AGM at 8pm on Wednesday 1st July at the Riverside Arts Centre, Thames Street.

The AGM Newsletter, which has been sent to the printers for distribution to households in June, may be viewed by clicking here.

It will be noted that reference is made to the inclusion of a flier appealing to those who have not yet registered their preferences for the location of a cycle/footbridge. If you have not yet completed the online ballot you are urged to do so now by clicking here or on the banner on the top of the Home Page.

Residents living in the vicinity of the Hazelwood Training Centre will have noticed the thoughtless and inconsiderate parking by many of the visitors to the London Irish annual Mini Festival on 26th April. After receiving a number of complaints the Association raised the matter at a meeting with the Chairman of the Organising Committee.

Before discussing steps to be taken to minimise disruption next year, the Chairman was anxious to point out the measures they had taken to prevent parking congestion before this year's event and it is only fair to point these out:

• informaton pack sent out to attendees 3 & 1 weeks before the event;
• made clear that no parking was available at Hazelwood;
• made clear that consideration for the club's neighbours is needed;
• all visitors guided to use coaches where possible, or public transport;
• all car users guided to use Kempton Park Race Course and shuttle bus service.

The L. Irish Amateur RFC investigated multiple options for car parking and rented 2 separate locations together with a shuttle bus transfer service at a combined cost of £1,800:

• Kempton Park - approx 650 cars parked, 5 double-decker buses used for transfer;
• St. Paul's School - approx 200 cars and 11 x 50 seat coaches parked;
• 52 car park marshals volunteered for the day's event;
• marshals used in shifts, primarily in the early morning peak period before the 10am start to the Festival and situated at 7 locations between Kempton and Croysdale Avenue;
• marshals, despite not being legally empowered to prevent visitors from parking, appealed to the goodwill of visitors not to park in the local area but to go to Kempton and use Park and Ride service;
• local police had been informed of the event in advance in order that dangerously parked or obstructing vehicles could be ticketed.

Despite these measures, 'residents parking only' signs at the top of roads parallel to Croysdale were destroyed beyond repair by vandals in the days before the Festival; some visitors chose to ignore pre-festival communications or ignored car parking marshals "as they are entitled to park as they pay road tax like anyone else".

It should be stressed that this is the first year that Hazelwood has hosted the Mini Festival and it's not surprising that there are lessons to be learnt for future years. One identified weakness is that visiting clubs did not adequately communicate to their members the information packs issued by London Irish. The Chairman has undertaken to be much more forceful in his communications to visiting clubs next year whilst accepting that this is unlikely to deter the awkward minority who have no regard for the inconvenience caused to local residents.

Next year's event is scheduled to take place on 24th April and the Chairman has agreed to communicate with LOSRA beforehand in order to alert residents through this website.

If, rather than simply being a spectator (see article below), you would like to take a more active part in the forthcoming local events celebrating the sealing of the Magna Carta, you may be interested in volunteering at the celebration events? 

On Saturday 6th June there will be a Medieval Fair for which volunteers are required; and Volunteer Event Marshals are needed for the Sunbury-Staines Flotilla on 13th June. For this event, volunteers will be required at the  Lower Sunbury Lock, Shepperton Lock, Chertsey Lock and Penton Hook Lock to act as marshals.  The flotilla of boats will arrive in Staines-upon-Thames at around 5pm.  The Medieval Fair at the Lammas in Staines-upon-Thames will include hog roasts and a jousting display.

Magna Carta Event Volunteers will be required to:

• Help set up the event area
• Help with putting the event materials away at the end of the event
• Direct people to different areas of the site
• Answer simple questions which are asked by people attending the event.

Volunteers are also needed to help at “ The Baron’s Gathering,” on Saturday 13th June.   Their role will be to help set up and clear up the event, help direct the public and generally being a point of information; and to help sell programmes. The event will take place between 12.15 and 20.15 and will feature all things Medieval including jousting, falconry, combat displays and children’s activities.

Finally, volunteers will be required to assist on Sunday 14th June, whilst the boats are moored at Staines and before they sail up the river to Bell Weir Lock.

If you would like to take part in this historic event please register your interest by the end of May by contacting Voluntary Action in Spelthorne on 01784 465536 or via email on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

The 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta is being celebrated in style along the borough’s stretch of the River Thames on 13 June.

Everyone’s invited to enjoy a joint river spectacle featuring a flotilla from Sunbury to Staines-upon-Thames, taking in Shepperton Village fair and culminating in a free Medieval community celebration at its destination.

Click here for further details

People in parts of London and Surrey are being reminded not to touch the caterpillars of the oak processionary moth (OPM), which are now emerging in oak trees in these areas.

They are also advised to keep children and animals away from the caterpillars and their nests, because the caterpillars’ hairs can cause itching skin rashes and other health problems. Residents are also being asked to report any sightings.

Affected areas include: several boroughs in West and South-West London; Bromley and Croydon and southern parts of Lewisham in South London; and Elmbridge and Spelthorne in Surrey.

OPM caterpillars are a tree pest which were accidentally introduced to Britain. They feed on oak leaves, and in large numbers they can severely defoliate trees and leave them vulnerable to other pests and diseases.

Their tiny hairs contain a protein which can cause itchy skin rashes and, less frequently, eye and throat irritations and breathing difficulties in people and animals. The hairs can be blown on the wind, and left in their nests in and under oak trees. The greatest risk period is May to July, although nests should not be approached at any time.

The Forestry Commission, councils and land managers are tackling the pest with a carefully controlled programme of tree treatment and nest removal. Ian Gambles, the Forestry Commission's Director England, said the public could play an important role in helping to control the pest by reporting sightings, but advised caution: “We need reports of the caterpillars or their nests from the public or others, such as gardeners, tree surgeons and ground-care workers, who work or relax near oak trees,” he said.

“However, they should not try to remove the caterpillars or nests themselves. This needs to be carefully timed to be effective, and is most safely done by specially trained and equipped operators.”

Dr Deborah Turbitt, Deputy Regional Director for Health Protection, London, endorsed the ‘don’t touch’ advice, saying: “We strongly advise people not to touch or approach the caterpillars or their nests because of the health risks posed by the hairs. Pets can also be affected, and should be kept away as well. The Forestry Commission website has pictures to help identify the pest.

“See a pharmacist for relief from milder skin or eye irritations following possible OPM contact, or consult a GP or NHS111 for more-serious reactions. Contact a vet if animals are affected. We have issued advice to local GPs and health professionals to help them identify when patients have been affected by the caterpillars and to advise them on appropriate treatment.”

Trees are treated by fully qualified operators under strict health, safety and environmental controls to ensure it is safe for people and animals.

• Sightings must be reported to the Forestry Commission, preferably with its Tree Alert on-line form available from www.forestry.gov.uk/opm.
• Maps of the ‘core’ and ‘control’ areas are available in the oak tree owners’ manual at www.forestry.gov.uk/opmmanual.
• Health advice is available from the “Insects that bite or sting” area of the NHS Choices website, www.nhs.uk/livewell.
• Working on oak trees – Anyone having oak trees pruned or felled in the affected areas must contact the Forestry Commission’s Plant Health Service beforehand on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 0300 067 5155 for advice about safe removal of the material.

Further information is available from www.forestry.gov.uk/opm.

From the article published on this site on 30th December, many residents will be aware that an appeal had already been submitted following the refusal of planning permission for application 14/00322/FUL.

The Association has now been advised that another appeal has been submitted following the refusal of planning permission for application 14/02189/FUL. The Planning Inspectorate has decided that both appeals will be heard together at an informal Hearing on 23rd and 24th June at 10am to be held at the Council Offices, Knowle Green.

Residents who have previously objected to either or both of these applications should have been notified separately. If you have not been contacted before and wish to make representations to the Planning Inspector, this should be done in writing to the Planning Inspectorate, Room 3/06 Temple Quay House, 2, The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol, BS1 6PN, quoting the inspectorate appeal reference numbers: APP/Z3635/W/15/3009449 in respect of 14/02189/FUL; or APP/Z3635/W/14/3000993 in respect of 14/00322/FUL.

Any comments or representations must be submitted in writing and in triplicate by 26th May. (This antediluvian method of communicating with the Planning Inspectorate is still current practice it would seem!).