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.
Apps Court - Spelthorne's Environmental Health Officer Joins the Fray
Further to our notice (scroll down to 17th January) we can report that a significant number of residents have made known their opposition to the granting of this licence. The Senior Environmental Health Officer for Spelthorne has sent the following very helpful email to the ward councillors of Lower Sunbury:
Dear Councillors,
I want to make you aware of this licence application as it will have a significant impact on our residents if its permitted to go through. The first information I want to give is that Environmental Health has made representation on this licence application to Elmbridge Borough Council Licensing team. We also believe some 20 of our residents may also have submitted representations to Elmbridge Borough Council. You may therefore have already been approached by residents, or you might be in the future.
Elmbridge Borough Council has received a licencing application for Apps Court farm which is on the Elmbridge side of the River Thames opposite Sunbury Park (see map attached for your reference). The application is for 29 events per year and includes every type of event possible covered by the tick-boxed on the application form, and include up to 6 music festivals which could facilitate up to 50,000 attendees, with some events continuing overnight until 5am in the morning. The applicants state this would be similar to Greenfields https://www.
As you know our side of the River Thames in Lower Sunbury is a quiet location, especially at night. Events are already held at Apps Court Farm (although not at the scale being proposed) and even at this smaller scale we occasionally receive noise complaints from our residents about the events already held at Apps Court Farm. So this, along with the scale of the application convinces us that should this licence application if granted it will have a significant impact on our residents.
Our Environmental Health team have joined forces with Elmbridge Borough Council’s Environmental Health team in respect of this Licensing Application as they too have similar concerns. Elmbridge and Spelthorne’s EH teams have also jointly engaged the services of expert licensing and noise consultations to assist us in challenging this application. Both Spelthorne’s and Elmbridge’s EH teams have submitted representations to Elmbridge’s Licensing team and the application will be going to a Licensing hearing at EBC. If refused it is most likely the applicants will appeal to the Courts for a review of the decision.
I will continue to provide you with information as this licence application progresses. If you have any questions please do drop me an email.
Kind Regards,
Tracey
Tracey Willmott-French, CEnvH, MCIEH
Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner
Senior Environmental Health Manager
Spelthorne Borough Council
Lester Brown / Paul Silver Quintet at the RAC on 6th February
Lester Brown, the British trumpet and flugelhorn player joins Paul Silver on saxophone with the Terrence Collie Trio at the Riverside Arts Centre on Sunday 6th February at 8pm.
2022 Subscriptions Now Due
Now that we're well into the new year it's timely for a tactful reminder that our 2022 subscriptions became due on 1st January.
New or existing members may join or renew via the Home Page of this site.
The annual membership of £5 (about the price of a pint of beer or two coffees) has remained unaltered for16 years and we continue to be run by a highly professional Committee of local residents who give up their time freely.
There are no paid members and all monies go towards printing costs, room hire and the like; in addition to maintaining a reserve fund for legal advice when required.
Please help us to help you by subscribing today. Thank you.
Network Rail Iron Bridge Replacement. Impact on traffic in Staines
Before driving to Staines in the coming months, and to avoid disappointment, you should be aware of the forthcoming Iron Bridge replacement.
Network Rail has forwarded the following briefing note
Apps Court - Licensing Application Which May Affect You
This Association is always particularly wary when a controversial application is put before the Council at the start of the Christmas period in the knowledge that the Council will not be open for business until 4th January and will thereafter be dealing with a host of other business distractions accumulated over that period.
The local community, and especially those living close to the riverfront, will remember the event at Apps Court last September and its almost deafening impact on residents.. We have already had some discussions with both Elmbridge (to whom the application is made) and Spelthorne Councils but as with all licensing representations these may only be made by individuals who are, or are likely to be affected.
If you wish to make a representation, time is very tight as it will not be considered after 19th January. The premises licence application is available to view online on Elmbridge Council's licensing web page using the licence number: LN/202000162 - Apps Court Farm, Hurst Road, Walton-on-Thames KT122EG.
Emails may also be addressed to Environmental Health at Spelthorne Council or Licensing at Elmbridge: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
New temporary timetable for South Western Railway
SWR are making residents aware that, from Monday 17 January, South Western Railway will be running a new temporary timetable.
The spread of Omicron has necessitated the need for a new timetable, with staff shortages across the SWR network leading to short notice cancellations.
Of particular note to residents, the Shepperton branch will be reducing to an hourly service outside of peak times.
These temporary timetable changes will remain under review going forward. Journey planners will be updated on a week-by-week basis, with updates taking place towards the end of each week.
Details of the temporary timetable can be found on the SWR website
More...
Old King Cole Pantomime Will Go On at the RAC on 20 - 23rd January
An uncertain December progresses into a cautiously optimistic January, but there is some excellent news... THE PANTO WILL GO ON!
The superb, traditional panto, OLD KING COLE, will take place as planned between 20th and 23rd January at Riverside Arts Centre in Sunbury. Tickets are on sale now, and we are poised to deliver a fantastic show!
As things are a bit worrying at the moment, a number of things have been put in place just in case Covid gets in the way. The Riverside Players are offering a Money Back Guarantee...
1) if the Show has to be cancelled because Government action bans performances then you will receive a full refund of the ticket price paid;
2) if you or any of your party have to cancel because of having to isolate due to Covid you will be offered a credit to be used for any event at the Riverside Arts Centre at any time during 2022 or 2023.
Extra measures will also be in place at Riverside to ensure the safety of all members of the audience, cast and crew
Riverside Players look forward to seeing you all there!
Guillermo Hill (Guitar) Joins the Terence Collie Trio, 9th January at the RAC
A night of Latin Jazz with Guillermo Hill on acoustic guitar and the Terence Collie Trio will be performed at the Riverside Arts Centre on Sunday 9th January at 8pm.
Council Services Over Christmas
Christmas information including rubbish and recycling dates may be found here
The Three Simons (Three Tenors) Christmas Special at the RAC, 19th December
In what has now become a Christmas tradition at the Riverside Arts Centre, Mood Indigo Events are putting on a Christmas special performance which this year features the Three Simons (Allen, Bates and Spillett) who will be playing alongside the resident Terence Collie Trio.
Festive mince pies and mulled wine will be served at the interval.
The 60s All Stars Returns to the SCC on Friday, 10th December
The next Music Night at Sunbury Cricket Club is the Christmas shindig for which the Club is very fortunate to have been able to book THE 60s ALL STARS, who have always been one of most popular attractions ever since they performed at the Club's very first Music Night more than ten years ago. It’s always great to welcome them back, as the organizer knows we can guarantee a proper rave-up as ever, with a rip-roaring evening of wall-to-wall beat era classics to kick off the Christmas festivities.
Their line-up now comprises Alan Lovell of The Swinging Blue Jeans on guitar and vocals, along with the popular guitarist and singer Robin Bibi, whose CV includes session work with the Pretty Things, Helen Shapiro, Ben E. King, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and others. The band’s new bass player is Peter Oakman– he’s an original member of Joe Brown & The Bruvvers and co-wrote their No. 1 “Picture Of You” and is now with the Swinging Blue Jeans, and on drums as always is Mick Avory, original member of The Kinks.
Friday 10th Dec. is also Save The Children’s Christmas Jumper Day, so wear your Christmas jumper and join in our raffle at £1 a ticket to win a bottle of fizz, with all proceeds being donated to the charity.
Put together a gang of friends and come along for a great party night – the Club very much looks forward to welcoming you there. Admission is £10.00 on the door, payable by cash or card.
Hot food, prepared by the expert chefs from the Club's resident caterers from the food bank charity Surplus To Supper, will be available from 7pm, and the band will be on stage about 9.00pm.
Helping residents through the winter
Spelthorne Council are committed to supporting our most vulnerable households and are providing financial assistance over the winter.
For further information, click here
Better Neighbourhood Grants - Apply to Your Local Councillor
Each year Spelthorne borough councillors are allocated a sum of money which they can use to support activities in their wards. In the last few years each councillor has been allocated £1k, but this year the amount has been increased to £2k, with the additional money having to be spent to support “Green” initiatives. What constitutes a Green initiative is not precisely defined but could be considered to cover anything that will improve the environment.
Your Lower Sunbury councillors would like to hear from you about any new or existing ideas or schemes that you feel could benefit from receiving some of this funding, particularly any that you feel might qualify as a Green initiative. Applying for the scheme is not hard - you just need to provide a short statement of what you want to do and how a grant would help you achieve your aims.
Grants are generally made to community/voluntary organisations and funds must be used to support more than one person who lives or works in the councillor’s ward. If you have a good idea but are not part of a formal group, please ask your councillors as we don’t want bureaucracy to stifle doing the right thing.
Your councillors would love to talk to you about your ideas. We all want to spend every penny wisely and in support of schemes that will benefit the community. In the last year COVID dominated the grants, with schools in particular getting support to help with remote learning. This year we want to cast the net as widely as possible and support ideas that will improve our local environment.
On behalf of the Sunbury East and Lower Sunbury and Halliford councillors
Sunbury East:
Kathy Grant: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Helen Harvey: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ian Harvey (Mayor): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Halliford and Sunbury West:
Sandra Dunn: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tom Fidler: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Lawrence Nichols: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Flooding - Council Produces 7 Page Advisory Leaflet
Spelthorne Borough Council understands the many concerns of residents and businesses regarding the impact of flooding in the local area and have produced a 7 page leaflet.
For further details, click here
