The RTS is a major engineering project by the Environment Agency and Surrey County Council to reduce the risk of flooding along the Thames between Egham and Teddington.

In addition to two new channels upstream of Walton, there will be additional weirs downstream, including a large one across Sunbury Lock Ait. This will inevitably damage the view from Kings Lawn.

The principal benefits of the RTS are reduced river levels upstream of Sunbury. These are estimated to be up to 90cm in the area of the two channels - but only 4-8cm downstream of Sunbury Lock. This is a minimal amount given recent river level increases.

The proposals include an “active travel” route between Egham Hythe and Walton, including two new bridges at Chertsey and Desborough Island. However this will be of little benefit to Sunbury residents because the continuation of the active travel route is the tow path on the Walton side of the river.

We believe that incorporating our proposed bridge at Sunbury into the project would provide Sunbury residents with a material benefit from the RTS and we will be lobbying hard for this. Without this benefit there is little, if anything, for Sunbury residents to gain from the RTS.

A “consultation event” is being held at the Hazelwood Centre on Monday 19th February, between 1pm and 7pm. We encourage anyone with an interest in this important subject to attend - and to let the promoters know your views on incorporating a Sunbury bridge and on the new weir.

https://www.riverthamesscheme.org.uk/consultation

Further to the article posted on Monday 5th February (scroll down), the following is the text of the Association's letter of objection:

The comments given below on planning application 24/00017/FUL, for the construction and operation of a Battery Energy Storage System (‘BESS’) on strongly performing Green Belt land adjacent to the Charlton Lane EcoPark, are from the Lower Sunbury Residents Association (LOSRA).

LOSRA dissociates itself from the impression given in paragraph 1.9 of the submitted PDAS that it supported the proposed development that was presented to local residents on 19 June 2023. Not only did LOSRA attendees express no such support at the time; LOSRA is now strongly objecting to the submitted proposal for the following reasons:

1. The proposal comprises ‘inappropriate development’ within Green Belt under paragraphs 152-156 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF):

•  The Applicant has therefore put forward a ‘Very Special Circumstances Report’ in order to argue that the application should nonetheless be approved

2. The claimed ‘very special circumstances’ do not justify such approval:

• Whilst the application argues the country’s need for electricity storage in order to manage intermittent renewable generation more effectively, it does not justify using the Sunbury Green Belt site in order to do so.The site is land-locked, with only a single route to the public highway over land owned by others. In spite of claims to the contrary, it is a considerable distance from the nearest Grid Supply point:

• The application points out that a cable route of 2.8km in length is ‘at the end of viability…due to the cost of laying cables long distances’. But the route shown actually measures around 3.5km (on the Surrey CC Interactive Map).

•  It is also claimed that the cable route ‘will avoid any major infrastructure’, and yet it has to cross not only the six-lane M3 motorway but also the Staines Aqueduct – twice.

•  The land-locked site is also surrounded – by the M3, the Shepperton branch railway, Charlton Village, Ashford Common Water Treatment Works, Upper Halliford’s Birch Grove area and the Charlton Lane EcoPark.

•  The application claims to provide ‘support for the rural economy’. This is simply implausible for an operationally unmanned industrial complex on suburban Green Belt with its major components, the 96 battery modules themselves, specified from a Chinese supplier.

•  It is also claimed that the proposed development is ‘temporary’, since it will only last for 40 years and then revert back to nature. That is not only both unenforceable and unlikely, but also of no advantage whatsoever to current local residents.

3. If it were to be built, the BESS complex would represent an unacceptable industrial visual intrusion and extensive health and safety risks:

•  Although the Applicant has provided no drawings showing the actual appearance of the overall proposed BESS scheme, it is not difficult to imagine what 144 industrial containers laid out in rows across the stated 5.9 hectare site will look like; it would surely be irredeemably ugly.

•  It is further stated that the site layout has been amended as a result of advice from the Fire Services and reference to the planning guidance from the National Fire Chiefs Council. This resulted in the battery modules being located further from the M3 motorway in order to avoid the impact of the smoke plume on vehicles in the event of a BESS fire. The site is also required to have 9 large water tanks containing a total of 225,000 litres water to fight the fire. A battery fire is a chemical fire that provides its own oxygen; quenching it requires the provision of huge amounts of water to cool it down over many hours and sometime days.

•  Depending on the wind direction at the time, the smoke plume from such a fire, which would contain a range of toxic gases, might not affect the M3 but rather Charlton Village, Upper Halliford, the Ecopark or, most worryingly, the Ashford Common Water Treatment Works. If it were raining at the time then presumably the toxic chemicals in the plume would wash out into whatever lay beneath.

•  In a similar vein, the large volumes of water being used to quench such a fire would inevitably pick up those chemicals, most notably hydrogen fluoride, and potentially pass them into the water table should the sump manholes surcharge.

•  The ‘Framework / Outline Safety Management Plan’, written by consultants and submitted with the application, might have been expected to provide details of how these fire and other risks would be managed, but it is almost entirely conditional upon the receipt of further information from the Applicant. As such it does not provide the level of detail necessary to make an effective assessment of an intended Full Planning Application.

The next Music Night at Sunbury Cricket Club is on Friday week, 16th February, when the Club welcomes back FIRE & WATER, a band who played one of first Music Nights more than 12 years ago, and who have headlined one of their Beer & Music Festivals in the past.

Capturing the spirit and music of Free, Bad Company and Led Zeppelin, Fire & Water comprise Paul Cox, who Radio 2’s Paul Jones says has “one of the best voices in Europe” and has worked with Ray Charles, Eric Clapton and others; guitarist Mike Summerland, who was with Blodwyn Pig, Georgie Fame and William Bell; bass player Al Maclean, formerly with Kokomo and Hershey & The 12 Bars; and drummer Jim Russel, whose background includes Stretch, Scotty Moore, Curved Air, Desmond Dekker and others.

An evening of top quality rock and blues is absolutely guaranteed, and it will be a classic old school Sunbury Music Night.

It's £10.00 on the door payable by cash or card. Hot food will be available as usual from about 6.30pm, and the band will be on stage around 8.30-8.45.

Sunbury residents only have until the 12 th February to comment on a proposal to build a very large Battery Energy Storage System next to the EcoPark.

•  The difficulties created by the application as lodged being technically complex, incomplete and inconsistent with respect to detail.
• The suitability of suburban Green Belt land to locate a large and undisguisable industrial development.
•  The explosion and fire risks associated with such batteries and the challenges of quenching and clear-up when they occur.
•  The acceptability of placing such a complex close to suburban housing as well as the EcoPark’s incinerator and bio-digester and the Ashford Common Water Treatment Works.
• The disruption involved in routeing a very high voltage cable across the M3 motorway and through Charlton Village en-route to a grid connection point near Staines.
•  The political acceptability of imposing another industrial complex on local residents when there was so much opposition to the EcoPark.

Spelthorne is consulting with residents about its proposals to introduce a new Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) on the misuse of public land. The consultation will conclude on 31 January 2024, and you can respond online via: spelthorne.inconsult.uk/PSPOmisuseofland/consultationHome

This Council has been listening to residents' concerns and the overarching aims of this PSPO is to tackle issues and behaviours which are unacceptable and impact on our communities across the Borough. The PSPO proposal includes:

• a ban on tents or similar structures being on public land to prevent littering and using the space as a toilet
• ban any device for cooking e.g. barbeques, in any our parks and open because of the hazardous impact to our environment
• an exclusion zone where taxis and private hire vehicles using residential areas will not be allowed to park for Heathrow to cover the entirety of Stanwell Moor, and parts of Stanwell worst affected

Currently, the Council has limited powers to deal with these issues. If a PSPO is in place the Joint Enforcement Team will be able to issue Fixed Penalty Notices for non-compliance with repeat offenders risking prosecution. The team would have discretion and, for example, would signpost rough sleepers towards appropriate assistance.

Residents can read more details about the PSPO and respond online via: spelthorne.inconsult.uk/PSPOmisuseofland/consultationHome

Alternatively, you can email your comments to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..uk

The following email has been forwarded to LOSRA and we are pleased to reproduce it here:

Thank you to all of the individuals who have already shared the link to this year’s council tax survey from our Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey Lisa Townsend.

The survey is an important chance for local residents to share their views on the amount of council tax that they will pay in 2024/25 towards the Surrey Police budget that, together with a grant from central government, will fund the service they receive in Surrey from April.

There is still time for Surrey residents who have not yet had their say, to complete our survey by 30 January at https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/3BJ307/

If you haven’t done so already, we would greatly appreciate it if all local councillors could promote the survey using the above link to their constituents, so that we can maximise the number of local residents who are able to share their views. Every comment they leave is read by our team and will help to inform the priorities for Surrey Police during the year ahead.

The survey contains four questions and can be completed in five minutes. I have also attached a copy of the survey and our council tax FAQ that can be completed offline and either sent back to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., posted by contacting us for a prepaid envelope or available in an easy-read version on request. The survey is also available in a number of different languages at https://www.surrey-pcc.gov.uk/performance/council-tax/

Please do let me know if you have any questions - we appreciate your support.

Many thanks,

James Smith
Communications and Engagement Officer

Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey

John Etheridge rightly enjoys a glowing reputation throughout the jazz world and beyond and has been described by Pat Metheny as, "One of the best guitarists".

He is a prodigiously gifted and creative player whose approach to music can only be described as 'eclectic' as he refuses to accommodate or even acknowledge artificial musical boundaries.

His range is well illustrated by his years of touring and recording with the iconic Stephane Grappelli while simultaneously doing likewise with the legendary jazz-fusion group, The Soft Machine.

John is equally at home on acoustic and electric guitar and his willingness to engage with so many styles is matched by his ability to excel in any of them.

He has played with John Williams, Yehudi Menuhin, Dizzie Gillespie, Herb Ellis, Mundell Lowe, Nigel Kennedy, Pat Metheny, Birelli Lagrene, Barney Kessel, Vic Juris and countless others.

John's ability as an outstanding composer is sometimes overlooked but he is often under pressure from audiences to feature more of his own material.

John joins the Terence Collie Trio on Sunday, 4th February at the Riverside Arts Centre, Thames Street.

For further details, click here