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.
Healthwatch Surrey Health and Wellbeing Survey for Spelthorne Residents Aged 50-66
The following email has been received by the Hon. Chairman and are pleased to reproduce it here:
My name is Katharine and I work for Healthwatch Surrey. We go out and about in the community and listen to people’s experiences of health and social care.
We feedback to commissioners and providers of services, in the hope that we can improve services for Surrey residents. You can find out more about Healthwatch Surrey here: Home | Healthwatch Surrey
I have just launched a project looking at the health and wellbeing of people aged 50-66, around what they do to look after themselves, with a specific focus on Spelthorne and Elmbridge.
We are looking at these areas as Spelthorne is the borough with the poorest health outcomes, and Elmbridge (although it’s not the best performing across Surrey) because it performs better than Spelthorne, and is similar in terms of bordering London.
I was wondering whether you would be able to share the link to our survey, or the flyers with members of the resident’s association or via your website? Would that be possible? If you have any meetings coming up in January, I’d be happy to come along.
https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/
Papa George Comes to the SCC on 23rd January
Sunbury Cricket Club has had an enforced change of plan for the next Music Night on Friday 23rd January, as unfortunately The Nashville Teens have had to pull out – singer Ray Phillips has had a knee operation, and his recovery is going a bit slower than hoped, so he is not sure he is going to be fit for the show, and decided to cancel sooner rather than later, so the Club could be sure of getting a replacement; and hope to re-schedule the Nashville Teens show for the last Music Night of the winter.
In their place the Club has been fortunate to secure the services of the great blues singer and guitarist Papa George, 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 about 18 months ago, so this is one not to be missed
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 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.
Read our New Year's Newsletter Here
Hazelwood Centre - Saturday Morning Bee's
As an Association, we are always looking to enhance the not-for-profit sporting events at the Hazelwood Centre; so we are pleased to circulate this email from the Brentford FC Community Trust which has introduced similar initiatives in Hounslow, Ealing and surrounding areas:
"Join Brentford FC Community Sports Trust for our new 'Saturday Morning Bee's' club at Hazelwood Centre in Sunbury.
"This football training session is aimed towards children of all abilities whether they're new to the game or have experience playing before!
"Our fun and inclusive sessions will focus on weekly topics, working on different skills and techniques, followed by fun mini-matches."
When: Saturday Mornings
Timings:
School Year 1, 2, 3 – 8:45am - 9:45am
School Years 4, 5, 6 – 8:45am - 10:15am
Dates: Saturday 17th January weekly through to and including Saturday 14th February
Ages: Children aged 5 - 11
Price: £10 per child per session
Link To Book: Brentford FC Community Sports Trust
The Riverside Players Bring "Beauty and the Beast" Panto to the RAC in January
We are bringing the classic Beauty and the Beast to you this January and it will be a treat for the whole family!
"Come along and enjoy the songs, the romance, the jokes and the classic cross-dressing that you would expect from a traditional pantomime."
Box office as in poster for the event.
Christmas Party Night with The Escorts at SCC on 12th December
The next Music Night at Sunbury Cricket Club is on Friday 12th December and is the traditional Christmas party night to round off the year. This year it features for the first time at the club THE ESCORTS, playing the familiar sixties beat era musical formula that we like to present for this show.
The original Escorts were a Liverpool band formed in the Merseybeat era, but the present line-up was formed in 2016, featuring Roland Le Roc on guitar and vocals and Allen Bis on bass and vocals, both former members of The Mersey Legends, and led by Stephane Booroff on drums (Edison Lighthouse and Chicory Tip) – it’s the same line-up as the popular Music Night band Sky High. The Escorts are an established attraction on the Warner Hotel circuit, regularly playing Sixties weekends, and we are guaranteed, as always at our Christmas shows, a party evening of wall-to-wall beat era classics.
Bring a gang of friends to get the party season properly under way. The Club has had a couple of disappointing audience turn-outs for the last two Music Nights, so it would be nice to get a good crowd for this one to ensure a great atmosphere to finish the year in style. The Club looks forward to seeing you there.
Admission is £10.00 on the door, payable by cash or card. Hot food, prepared by the expert chefs from the resident caterers from the community food distribution organisation Surplus To Supper, will be available from about 6.30 pm. Doors open about 6.30pm and the band will be on stage around 8.30pm or soon after.
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Spelthorne Parking Review
The following notice has been sent to LOSRA by our County Councillor, Buddhi Weerasinghe:
"I wanted to update you that the Spelthorne Parking Review, which includes Lower Sunbury, is now open for public consultation until 28 November 2025. Surrey Highways has completed the formal notices, letter drops, and street signage.
"Grateful if you could share the link with LOSRA members so they can review the proposals and submit comments via the online form:
Jump 66 Comes to the SCC on 14th November
The next Music Night at Sunbury Cricket Club is on Friday 14th November and features the welcome return of JUMP 66, who have done some fabulous, fun rocking shows for the Club in the past, mostly recently about 18 months ago.
They play a good-time mix of retro rhythm & blues, early soul, jumping swing and infectious ska, and they regularly appear at the Swanage Blues Festival, Wolverton Folk & Blues Festival and are headliners at the Ealing Blues Festival, as well as the top London venues.
For a while now they have been working with a beefed-up six-piece line-up, led by former Commitments member Rhod Davies, and fronted by the charismatic Paul Kissaun (ex-Flying Pickets), and they feature keyboardist Pete Saunders (ex-Dexy’s Midnight Runners). It will be a fun, rocking night in the grand Music Night tradition, and is one not to be missed.
Admission is £10.00 on the door, payable by cash or card. Hot food, prepared by the expert chefs from our resident caterers from the community food distribution organisation, Surplus To Supper, will be available from about 6.30 pm. Doors open about 6.30pm and the band will be on stage around 8.30pm or soon after.
Traditional Christmas Market Comes to Avenue Parade on 4th December
The Lower Sunbury Business Community hosts the Sunbury Christmas Market again this year. We are grateful to LSBC who have made such a success of this event over the years. LOSRA will again have a stall and will be very pleased to meet new and existing members. Please put the date in your diary and stop by for a natter.
Government confirms new East and West Councils for Surrey
Spelthorne Council and from what we can tell, many residents, were in favour of 3 unitary councils for Surrey, It comes as no surprise therefore that the reorganisation into two unitary authorities (East & West) which was the preferred option of Surrey County Council should win the day.Sunbury BESS – Now to Appeal
In a not-unexpected move, Sunbury BESS Limited has decided to appeal last month’s planning application refusal to the Secretary of State. It has been referred to the national Planning Inspectorate under the Written Representations procedure. With this type of appeal, an Inspector considers written evidence from the appellant, the Local Planning Authority and anyone else who has an interest in the appeal. The site is also likely to be visited, but there will not be the formal Hearing or Inquiry that happens with other types of appeal.
Spelthorne BC Planning has sent notifications to interested parties by both letter and email; these include an invitation to comment on the appeal directly to the Planning Inspectorate, either by letter or online, by no later than 13 November. Instructions for doing this are included on the Spelthorne Planning website for the application, 24/01112/FUL, within the ‘Appeal – Start letter’ on the documents list, which also includes the appellant’s Statement of Case and other related information. We encourage any residents with strong views on this application to submit those views to the Inspectorate.
We at LOSRA are continuing to liaise with the Charlton Village and Shepperton Residents’ Associations. This is to ensure that together we can comprehensively convince the appointed Planning Inspector that no ‘Very Special Circumstances’ do exist to outweigh the harm caused by the application being unquestionably defined as inappropriate development on Green Belt land, and that the Appeal should therefore not be allowed.
Roadworks Alert: Nursery Road Closure at Green Street Junction for Signal Replacement
Bad Influence to Revisit Sunbury Cricket Club on 24th October!
The next Music Night is on Friday 24th October when Sunbury Cricket Club welcomes back BAD INFLUENCE, who haven’t played at the Club for a couple of years, so it’s a long overdue return.
BAD INFLUENCE are one of our most popular bands, and have done some storming shows for the Club including headlining one of their Beer Festivals. They feature Val Cowell on guitar and vocals, Richard Hayes on guitar, Pete Stroud on bass, and Johnny Brister on drums, performing their distinctive brand of hard-hitting up-front blues/rock, blending original material from their albums with interpretations of material from the likes of Tom Petty, Bonnie Raitt and Fleetwood Mac.
They have headlined The Marquee eleven times, and done several BBC Radio 2 sessions, and they always perform with passion, power and personality. Another fine evening of archetypal Sunbury Music Night fare can be guaranteed.
Admission is £10.00 on the door, payable by cash or card. Hot food, prepared by the expert chefs from our resident caterers from the community food distribution organisation Surplus To Supper, will be available from about 6.30 pm. Doors open about 6.30pm and the band will be on stage around 8.30pm or soon after.
Sunbury BESS – Planning Refused!
At a remarkable Spelthorne BC Planning Committee meeting last Wednesday 17 September, twelve out of fourteen committee members voted against the Planning Officer’s recommendation for approval of the BESS application. The application was therefore refused, on the grounds that ‘The development is inappropriate in the Green Belt and there are no very special circumstances that outweigh the harm, contrary to Saved Policy GB1 of the Spelthorne Borough Local Plan 2001 and the NPPF 2024’.
LOSRA has always been opposed to the concept of a BESS on this Green Belt site and we, together with the Charlton Village and Shepperton Residents’ Associations, have worked hard for more than two years to understand the novel details and technicalities of what was being proposed; this has enabled us to argue knowledgably against the various versions of the proposal, as well as being able to circulate a detailed document to all the committee members ahead of the planning meeting. We also had a three-minute speaking slot during it to present just a few of our reasons for objecting.
The subsequent members’ debate on Wednesday evening covered a very wide range of topics, and it soon became apparent that few of the councillors were convinced by the argument that ‘very special circumstances’ existed to overturn the fact that the development was inappropriate in the Green Belt and would result in significant harm. This view prevailed and was reflected in the 12-2 vote against approval. This is obviously a very significant decision, but we will remain vigilant in case of an appeal or further applications being made to develop the site.
