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 2025 are now payable.
Remembrance Sunday, 12th November
| 10.15am | Groups to convene at St Paul's School Car Park, the Ridings |
| 10.30am | Groups to proceed to the War Memorial |
| 10.50am | Assemble at the War Memorial for a short service conducted by Father Andrew Downes |
| 11am | The Silence |
| 11.02am |
Laying of wreaths: |
Sunbury & Halliford NetZero Survey
Dog Control Public Space Protection Order - Consultation
dogs are not permitted in children's play areas, ball courts, multi games courts, tennis courts etc.
failing to clear dog faeces
walking more than four dogs
failing to keep their dogs on leads by direction
failing to keep dogs on leads in Council cemeteries, leisure centres and named car parks failing to carry suitable means for proper disposal of dog faecesSaxophonist Alex Garnett Joins the Terry Collie Trio at the RAC on 5th November
Alex Garnett has been one of the leading saxophonists in the UK and Mainland Europe for over two decades, being instantly recognized by his dark, husky sound. A versatile musician and first call sideman, he has enjoyed success as both a jazz artist, composer and arranger, and an in demand session, studio and commercial saxophonist, having racked up countless recording credits along the way.
A ubiquitous performer with many of Europe’s leading bands from underground to pop, he’s a regular sideman of choice for many visiting American artists when touring in Europe, and has performed in over 30 countries worldwide appearing at such venues as the Blue Note, Birdland, as well as the Perugia, North Sea, Vittoria, Montreax, and Oslo Jazz Festivals to name but a few, with varied and diverse artists across the spectrum such as Sir John Dankworth, Wynton Marsalis, Pete King, Humphrey Littleton, Scott Hamilton, Van Morrison, Evan Parker and The Rolling Stones, as well as with his contemporaries Gareth Lockrane, Seamus Blake, Phil Robson, Michael Janisch, Joel Frahm, and more.
Alex will be joining the Terence Collie Trio on Sunday, 5th November at the Riverside Arts Centre.
Surrey County Council Wants to Know What You Think about Making our Streets Safer
The following email has been forwarded to LoSRA and we are pleased to reproduce it here:
Surrey County Council will be designing proposals to improve the streets in Lower Sunbury.
Proposals will be developed that can make streets safer, healthier and more attractive, with lower traffic speed limits and improved facilities for walking, wheeling and cycling.
We want to hear from people who live, work, travel through and spend time in the Lower Sunbury area. We are interested in hearing what the key local transport issues are and what could be changed to improve the streets in Lower Sunbury. The views of local stakeholders are important to us and so it would be very much appreciated if you could share this with members within your organisation who may be interested in providing their views. The views of individuals as well as those on the behalf of schools, organisations and businesses are being gathered at this early stage before any plans are developed.
Find out more and tell us what you think online at https://lowersunbury.commonplace.is/
The Project Team will be hosting two engagement sessions to answer any questions and gather views.
Both events will be held in the Sunbury Adult Learning Centre, The Avenue, Sunbury-on-Thames, TW16 5DZ on the following dates:
- Thursday 19 October 2023 from 1:30pm until 6pm.
- Saturday 28 October 2023 from 10am until 1pm.
The engagement period closes on 31 October 2023.
SKY HIGH Comes to the SCC on 13th October
The Mustangs put on a fantastic show to a full room a couple of weeks ago to get the music season off to a flying start at the Sunbury Cricket Club.
The next Music Night is a week on Friday, 13th October, when the Club welcome's back SKY HIGH, who played at the Club last summer and attracted a packed house. They put on a great show that was extremely well-received, with plenty of people dancing.
The band members are all familiar faces to you, as guitarist Roland Le Roc and bass player Allen Bis are former members of The Mersey Legends, and drummer Stephane Booroff is a member of our house charity band The Chain Gang as well as being in The Escorts and leading his own jazz quartet The Blues Notes — he is also a former member of Edison Lighthouse.
SKY HIGH perform regularly around the country at Warner Hotels and other venues, playing pop and rock hits from a much-ignored era, the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, and it makes for great party night.
Tickets are £10 on the door. The bar is open from 6pm and hot food will be available from around 6.30. It promises to be a great night and we look forward to seeing you there.
The shows are starting a bit earlier these days as everyone seems to be there by about 8.30, so expect the band to be on stage by 8.45 at the latest.
Please note also that the website where Music Night information is carried is now www.sunburysports.org/music-club/
More...
Minister of State Says "No" to Council Leader's Attempts to Ditch Local Plan
Despite her repeated denials, it is suspected that the Leader of the Council had always intended that the third option to be debated at the Extraordinary Council Meeting on 14th September, namely; to "Withdraw the Local Plan from examination and prepare a new Local Plan" would win the day.
However, at the 11th hour, The Minister of State intervened by exercising The Secretary of State's powers under Section 27, Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 directing that the Council should not take any step to withdraw the plan from examination (currently paused by Council) and report monthly to her officials on the progress with the examination.
In her letter she states: "The last Local Plan was adopted in 2009, it should have been reviewed and updated many years ago. Withdrawing the Plan at this advanced stage of preparation will extend the already unacceptable period in which the Council has had no up-to-date local plan in place."
The Minister concludes the letter: "Should a significant delay occur to progressing the examination and should you fail to comply with the directions in this letter, I will consider taking further intervention action to ensure that an up-to-date plan is in place."
LOSRA has long campaigned for the plan's eventual adoption (despite its unpopular provisions) as the best defence against unplanned predatory developments and, in this regard only, we welcomed the Secretary of State's intervention.
It was the second option that was voted through, namely: to seek a further pause in the Examination timetable until the proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) have been published (expected in the Autumn) before agreeing next steps; and to take legal advice on the viability of challenging the Minister's decision.
It's reasonable to suppose this to be a further delaying tactic as it's difficult to imagine what within the revised NPPF is likely to make a material difference to the status quo.
Residents have no option but to observe how this highly divisive saga rumbles on and on until its eventual denouement.
Trumpeter, Steve Fishwick Joins Terence Collie Trio at the RAC on 1st October
Steve Fishwick is widely considered to be one of the best jazz trumpet players ever to come from the UK, and is rapidly gaining a global reputation thanks to his flawless technique and his beautifully flowing, harmonically rich improvisations.
Steve will be appearing with the Terence Collie Trio at the Riverside Arts Centre on Sunday 1st October.
To see poster for venue and booking details, click here
Another Geoff Buckingham Comedy Comes to the RAC on 23rd September
Extraordinary Council Meeting, Thursday, 14th September - Plea for Your Support
The Extraordinary Council Meeting on 6th June saw the Council resolve "to formally request the Planning Inspector to pause the Examination Hearings into the Local Plan for a period of three (3) months to allow time for the new council to understand and review the policies and implications of the Local Plan and, after the three month pause, the Council will decide what actions may be necessary before the Local Plan examination may proceed.”
It seemed obvious at the time and, subsequently with the discovery of irrefutable evidence, that the ultimate intention by a cohort of disaffected councillors is to scrap the Local Plan altogether; and that the resolution to 'pause' the Examination Hearings was no more than a device to add a veneer of respectability to achieving their ultimate goal.
It should be remembered that, before the local elections in May, the progress of the LP through to the public Examination Hearings had been approved by Council. Should these dissident councillors get their way it would put the Council back by years and, in the absence of an LP, leave the Borough open to predatory developers who have in the past successfully appealed development approvals where existing plans are deemed to be out of date (as is the case in this Borough). Though by no means perfect (subject as the plan is to government fiat), the eventual adoption of the LP is the only protection we have against the prospect of a developer free-for-all.
A highly vocal minority, principally from Staines, intend to pack the public gallery in support of the motion by an ersatz partisan grouping to ditch the plan completely. Your presence is needed to lend support to those councillors who justifiably wish to put an end to this nonsense.
Please attend by 6.45 pm. The relevant agenda item may be viewed by clicking here
Early Booking for the 39 Steps Recommended!
The Mustangs to Return to SCC on 22nd September
It’s been a long summer without Music Nights at Sunbury Cricket Club and lots of people have been asking when the Club will be starting up again. The cricket season is over now, and we are delighted to announce that our first Music Night of the new series is on Friday 22nd September when we are equally delighted to welcome back THE MUSTANGS.
The Mustangs are one of the UK’s longest-established and most critically-acclaimed blues-rock bands, with a reputation for blistering live shows and ground-breaking original albums, and they have been a favourite at Sunbury Music Nights for over ten years. They last played here at the 2019 at the Club's Gin and Music Festival, almost exactly four years ago, having headlined at the very first Beer Festival a couple of years before that, so are long overdue a return.
Now working as a power trio following the retirement of harmonica veteran Derek Kingaby, they feature the stunning voice and slashing guitar of livewire frontman Adam Norsworthy, plus the razor-sharp rhythm section of Jon Bartley (drums) and Ben McKeown (bass). Formed in 2001 they combine the power and punch of traditional R’n’B with great original songs, and are regulars at festivals like the Swanage Blues Festival, and in 2017 played at the Glastonbury Festival. Some of our patrons will have seen Adam doing a fine rocking show at one of Music Nights last year with his other band The Milkmen.
Rock ‘n’ Reel magazine called them “Truly storming, ferocious….the very definition of blues rock.” They now have around ten albums under their belt and of their most recent one, “Watertown” Metal Eyes magazine wrote “A wholly original album, a rock masterpiece. ‘Watertown’ flies to peaks unreachable to most of us”.
There’s more information at www.themustangsband.co.uk. They always do a great show for the Club and it’s an ideal way to get the new season of Music Nights under way, so we look forward to seeing you there. Tickets are £10 on the door, and hot food will be available as usual.
Zoe Gilby and Brecon Jazz at the RAC on 20th August
Winner of the Parliamentary Jazz Awards Jazz Vocalist of the Year 2019, Zoe Gilby is a vocalist and songwriter who is starting to make a serious impression on the UK music scene. Her impressive repertoire spans a range of influences from contemporary popular artists such as Kate Bush to the seminal jazz composers of the 20th century.
Zoe joins the Terence Collie Trio in a tribute to the legendary composer and pianist Thelonious Monk at the Riverside Arts Centre on Sunday 20th August at 8.30pm.
Enjoy a Night of Latin Jazz at the RAC on 3rd September
French guitarist Clement Regert joins the Terence Collie Trio at the Riverside Arts Centre on 3rd September for a night of Latin jazz.
Clement says: " I am a guitarist from Paris, I moved to London UK in 2005. I have been a session guitarist/MD since I left music college in Paris in 2004. My outfit WILD CARD has been playing in the UK and Europe since July 2011. We have recorded 4 albums. I have been lucky enough to play and collaborate with the likes of Marcus Strickland (US), Maurice Brown (US), Charlie Porter (US), Denys Baptiste (UK), Binher Golding (UK),Paul Booth (UK) or Dennis Rollins), Imaani (UK)."
