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 2024 are now payable.
BESS is back...here we go again!
On 12 September a new application by Sunbury BESS Limited (via its agent DWD Property and Planning) for its proposed Battery Energy Storage System on Green Belt land adjacent to the Charlton Lane Eco Park appeared on the Spelthorne Council planning list.
Readers will recall that the original application for this unprecedented proposal was recommended by the Spelthorne Planning Officer for refusal prior to consideration by the Planning Committee meeting in June.
In the event, the application was withdrawn by Sunbury BESS Limited before it could be considered by the Committee.
The Lower Sunbury Street Improvement Scheme Consultation - Reminder
Further to the article posted here on 16th September, please note that The Lower Sunbury Street Improvement Scheme consultation closes on 20th October.
Scroll down for more information.
Blues Singer and Guitarist, Papa George to Play at SCC on Friday 11th October
The next Music Night at Sunbury Cricket Club is on Friday 11th October when the Club welcomes the great bluesman PAPA GEORGE, making a welcome return after a break of 18 months, 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 on that occasion, so this is one not to be missed
Singer and guitarist 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 the Club's 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 it's hoped you can make it.
Admission is £10.00 on the door, payable by cash or card.
Lower Sunbury Local Street Improvements - Have Your Say
Many residents will already have received a letter from Surrey County Council. For those who missed it, please go to:
https://lowersunbury.commonplace.is/en-GB/proposals/events-and-activities/step1
It should be noted that two engagement events will be held by the Project Team at the Sunbury Adult Learning Centre, The Avenue, TW16 5DZ on 24th September (1.30-6pm) and 5th October (10am-1pm).
Chairman's Report at AGM
Due to an oversight on our part, the Chairman's report at the 2024 AGM was not published on this site earlier this year.
More...
Music Nights Kick Off at the SCC on 13th September with The 60s All Stars
Sunbury Cricket Club kicks off the music nights with a bang on Friday 13th September as it welcomes back THE 60s ALL STARS.
They played at the Club's very first Music Night back in 2010, and decided to get them in early this year as it’s sometimes hard to find a date in their schedule. "We know we can guarantee a proper rave-up at their shows, with a rip-roaring evening of wall-to-wall beat era classics, and they have always been one of our most popular attractions."
Their line-up for this gig comprises Alan Lovell of The Swinging Blue Jeans on guitar and vocals, the ever-popular Robin Bibi, also on guitar and vocals, Roger Flavell, formerly with Geno Washington and others on bass, and Mick Avory, original drummer with The Kinks. Put this one in the diary and get a gang of friends together,
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 to bet the new season under way in style.
Admission is £10.00 on the door, payable by cash or card.
A Tribute to Charlie (The Bird) Parker Comes to the RAC on 1st September
Glen Manby on alto saxophone joins the Terence Collie Trio at the Riverside Arts Centre on Sunday 1st September in a tribute to the legendary Charlie Parker.
For venue and booking details, click here
The Big Fat Surrey Festival at the Hazelwood Centre on Sunday 25th August
As far as we know this Festival has never been hosted at the Hazelwood Centre before.
The Festival's website states:
"This years hottest local summer festival coming to sunbury on thames this august bank holiday sunday House musics [sic] finest DJs complete the line up"
An excerpt from an email sent by London Irish manager to LOSRA reads as follows:
"We want to make you and the local neighbours aware of an event that is being held here at Hazelwood on the Bank Holiday Sunday 25/08/2024. This is going to be a festival of various DJ’s playing for a daytime event. 13:00 – 22:00. I have met with the organizers today, food vendor, and security/parking team who have assured me that they are going to be respectful of the local community....Ahead of the event I will make sure there is an emergency contact number left on our answer phone should anyone have anything that they are not happy about on the day."
Hedgehogs - A Great Project for Youngsters to Get Involved in During the Summer
Lower Sunbury Hedgehog project update
Earlier in summer we launched an initiative called The Lower Sunbury Hedgehogs Project aimed at helping to increase the hedgehog population of our area, which, as everywhere in the UK, has declined alarmingly over recent decades. They are certainly still around in Lower Sunbury, but we see them a lot less than we used to.
The primary aim was to encourage residents to improve access for hedgehogs between domestic gardens by making a 13cm diameter hole in the bottom of fences, hedges and walls where possible, to create ‘Hedgehog Highways’. Hedgehogs forage over a distance of 1-2 km a night, so being able to move between gardens broadens their range and gives them access to a variety of habitats for different food sources.
Foraging over a wider area also helps them encounter other hedgehogs and improves their breeding prospects, which is important to keep the population growing. There are also ways that residents can help by making their gardens as hedgehog-friendly as possible, so there are places to shelter during the day and hibernate during the winter.
To date a good number of people have become regular users of the Lower Sunbury Hedgehog Project Facebook page, and there have been quite a number of reported hedgehog sightings via the page, with one or two videos being shared. It’s a gradual process, so we’re keen to get as many residents taking an interest as possible.
There are lots of resources on the Facebook page, some of which are also in the dedicated page devoted to the project on the LOSRA web site. These give advice on how best to give them access between gardens, providing improved habitats and feeding opportunities, and lots of other information and guidance – for instance don’t put milk out for hedgehogs – they are lactose intolerant!
It’s a great project for youngsters to get involved in during the summer – anything we can do to get more hedgehogs active and visible in the area in the months before they go into hibernation in the autumn will be a positive initiative.
A night Celebrating Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock on 4th August at the RAC
Steve Waterman on trumpet, and Simon Allen on saxophone join the Terence Collie Trio at the Riverside Arts Center, 59, Thames Street on Sunday, 4th August.
This promises to be a great evening celebrating the work of two modern jazz giants.
To see full details, click here
One Point of Contact for All Reports to Council
At our June AGM, the Chief Executive of Spelthorne Council drew our attention to the recently introduced one point of contact for all reports to Council.
This point of contact may be found at spelthorne.gov.uk/report
In brief, the contact should be used to:
- Report fly tipping
- Report a noise complaint
- Access a parks and open spaces report form
- Report a street cleaning request
- Report antisocial behaviour
- Report graffiti
- Report dog fouling
- Report a littering offence
- Report a bonfire
- Report a missed bin collection
- Report abandoned vehicles
- Report faulty play equipment
- Report change of circumstances
- Report to planning enforcement
- Report tree problems
- Report a faulty street light
- Report potholes
- Report a footpath repair
- Report road maintenance
It may be good idea to print off this comprehensive list for future reference!
Rivermead Island to Host Sunbury Regatta for the Last Time on 10th August
For a full report, please go to Monica Jones' excellent article in the July/August edition of Sunbury Matters
The Council Is Seeking Your Views and Asks You To Take Survey
The Council says:
"If you live in Spelthorne, then you can really help us to understand about your views on the services that Spelthorne Borough Council provide you and your family."
