Our local Sunbury East Councillor, Alfred Friday was elected as the new Mayor for Spelthorne at the Annual Council Meeting held on Thursday 19 May. Cllr Vivienne Leighton was elected as Deputy Mayor.

Cllr Friday was first elected to the Council in May 2011, representing the Sunbury East ward. He is married to Kaye and has a daughter and two granddaughters. The family have lived in Sunbury since 1983.

A professional charity fundraiser until his retirement in 2012, Cllr Friday is interested in all things automotive. Kaye is an actress, dancer and model and has a strong interest in the performing arts.

During his term as Mayor, Cllr Friday will be supporting the following charities:-

• Parkinson’s UK: the Staines-upon-Thames branch offers information, friendship and support to local people with Parkinson’s, their families and carers. They help suffers meet other people affected by the condition and also organise regular events and social activities.
• One-to-One: a friendly hardworking charity that arranges social activities for adults with learning disabilities in North West Surrey.
• Home-Start Spelthorne: one of the leading family support charities in the UK, Homestart helps families with young children cope with challenges and build better lives. Families struggling with post-natal depression, isolation, health problems, bereavement and other issues are also supported.

Speaking during the meeting, Cllr Friday said: “Thank you ladies and gentlemen of Spelthorne Council for electing me as your Mayor this evening and I will do all within my power to repay that trust. We are proud to live in a wonderful borough that has busy, prosperous towns, that is blessed with a lovely river, pretty villages and lively communities. There are hidden gems like St Marys Church in Stanwell with its twisted spire and Sunbury’s Walled Garden. Kaye and I look forward to making ourselves known to all of you as well as representing Spelthorne to the wider world. ‘Let’s make Spelthorne sparkle’ is going to be the theme for my mayoral year.”

People in parts of London, northern Surrey, West Berkshire and South Buckinghamshire are being reminded to look out for and report caterpillars of the oak processionary moth (OPM), which could be damaging oak trees in the area. They are also advised to keep away from the caterpillars and their nests, because their hairs can cause itching skin rashes and other health problems, and to report sightings to the Forestry Commission. OPM is a tree pest which was accidentally introduced to England. They feed on oak leaves, and in large numbers they can severely defoliate trees and leave them vulnerable to other pests, diseases and drought.

Their tiny hairs contain a protein which can cause itchy skin rashes and, less frequently, eye and throat irritations and breathing difficulties in people and animals. The hairs can be blown on the wind, and left in their nests on and under oak trees. The greatest risk period is May to July, when the caterpillars are active, although nests should not be touched at any time.

The Forestry Commission, councils and land managers are tackling the pest with a carefully controlled programme of oak tree treatment and nest removal. Alison Field, the Commission's South-East England Director, said the public could play an important role in helping to control the pest by reporting sightings: “We need reports of the caterpillars or their nests from the public or others, such as gardeners, tree surgeons and ground-care workers, who work or relax near oak trees,” Ms Field said. “However, they should not try to remove the caterpillars or nests themselves. This needs to be carefully timed to be effective, and is most safely done by specially trained and equipped pest control experts.”

Dr Deborah Turbitt, London Deputy Director of Health Protection for Public Health England, endorsed the ‘don’t touch’ advice, saying: “We strongly advise people not to touch or approach the caterpillars or their nests because of the health risks posed by the hairs. Pets and livestock can also be affected, and should be kept away as well. The Forestry Commission website has pictures to help identify the pest. See a pharmacist for relief from milder skin or eye irritations following possible OPM contact, or consult a GP or NHS111 for more-serious reactions. Contact a vet if animals are more seriously affected.”

Infested oak trees should be treated by qualified operators under strict controls to ensure it is safe for people, pets, livestock and the environment. 

• Report OPM sightings to the Forestry Commission, preferably with its Tree Alert on-line form available from www.forestry.gov.uk/opm1. Anyone who cannot use Tree Alert may email or telephone reports to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 0300 067 4442.

• Health advice is available from the “Insects that bite or sting” area of the NHS Choices website, www.nhs.uk/livewell.

• Anyone pruning or felling oak trees in the affected areas should contact Forestry Commission England’s Tree Health Unit beforehand on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 0300 067 4442 for advice about safe removal of the material.

• Further information is available from www.forestry.gov.uk/opm1.

We’ve covered a series of planning applications for the ‘deeply unpopular’ sports stadium at Waterside Drive on the south bank of the Thames since 2012. First there was an outline planning application which lapsed in July 2015. Elmbridge tried to renew that with a full planning application in the same month, but that was halted by the Secretary of State who ordered them to undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment to consider the impact on the Thames landscape, Lower Sunbury Conservation Area and local residents.

Once the Environmental Statement was complete, the Sports Stadium was debated at the North Area Planning Sub-Committee on the 14th December 2015 followed by the Full Planning Committee on the 5th January 2016. LOSRA wrote to object to the impact of the floodlighting and the noise on residents; and along with Spelthorne’s planners we requested that Elmbridge consider planting evergreen trees to mask the floodlights and acoustic barriers to reduce the noise, and asked Elmbridge to consider restricting the number of days the stadium and pitches would be in use to give residents some respite.

Unfortunately the planning application was approved, despite it being in the Green Belt. In our view, it conflicts with their National Planning Policy Framework requirement to preserve the openness of Green Belt.

LOSRA understands that there will be a preliminary hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand on the 25th May 2016. This has been brought by a group of Parke Road residents, along with the Weir Hotel, to decide whether they can appeal against the planning decision in a Judicial Review. They maintain the impact on local residents’ lives will be significant. We will report on whether they are successful in securing an appeal.

Born and raised in New York City from Italian descent, Noemi Nuti is an up-and-coming jazz vocalist and songwriter currently residing in London.

Embracing her love for Brazilian music, Noemi is one of the lead singers of the British samba band, Rhythms of the City (ROTC), led by Barak Schmool and has toured in Brazil. She has also collaborated and performed with lead Brazilian acts Monobloco and Sargento Pimenta, with whom she has represented ROTC when playing on BBC Merseyside, Liverpool.

Most recently, Noemi has headlined on the closing night at Ipswich Jazz Festival (opened by Clare Teal) and she opened for the City of London Festival, which was recorded live for broadcast on Jazz FM.

Singing from the repertoire of Antonio Carlos Jobim, Noemi will be accompanied by Terence Collie, piano; Richard Sadler, bass; and Chris Nickolls, drums.
Performance starts at 7.30pm and tickets may be purchased on line at http://www.moodindigoevents.co.uk/ (£8) or £10 on the door.

Come and enjoy a free afternoon of music in the beautiful surroundings of the walled garden, Thames Street.

Performances are free and will be held between 3pm - 5pm. a limited number of chairs are available but you are advised to bring your own to avoid disappointment.

Sunbury Cricket Club take on the mighty Middlesex County CC at a one off 2020 game of cricket on Friday 20th May at 4.30pm.

Come along with family, friends or work colleagues to watch electric T20 cricket at its very best.

Players on show will include club, county and international stars which promises to be a great opportunity to see the modern game played up close.

Bar and BBQ will be open.

The Sunbury Skiff and Punting Club will be hosting their fifth annual Marathon event on Saturday, the 21st May at the Phoenix in Sunbury.  The first year Sunbury could not enter as the Club had no boats.  5 years on they have 5 race skiffs.   This is an inter-club event and will include competitors from all the skiff clubs along the Thames and includes a doubles event where you will be able to see racers of all ages from 18 up to the veterans (with minimum combined age of 123).   The course is six kilometers in length starting from the Phoenix when racers will row downstream towards Hampton and before turning at Platts Eyot to come back and finish at the Phoenix.   

The racing starts at 10am with refreshments available from 9am including snacks and cakes available all morning in the Garden prior to the main bar opening in the pub.   There will a raffle with some fantastic prizes kindly donated by the Phoenix management. Prizes include Bed and Breakfast for two at the Flower Pot,  a meal for four in their New Thai Restaurant, and a lovely bottle of Champagne. All welcome to come along and support your local club, enjoy a Saturday morning by the river find out more about skiffing or just enjoy tea and cake by the river.

Sunbury Skiff and Punting club are a friendly club which came into existence in 2010 by their founding members who believed that Sunbury should have a skiff and punting club to participate in the Sunbury Amateur Regatta, inaugurated in 1877. The club now regularly participates in all events organised by the SRA. The objectives of the club are to teach, coach and promote skiffing and punting in traditional Thames skiffs and punts. The club continues to improve and expand its facilities and membership, welcoming all ages and abilities of rower and potential rowers.   New members always welcome.

Email Us ... This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Call Us ... 07973 814 552

To see more about the club and members take a look at our website http://www.sunburyskiff.club/ or facebook page: sunburyskiffandpuntingclub.

Readers will recall that LOSRA objected to the development of the old nurseries site in Fordbridge Road (see article of 16th February). We are pleased to report that the Local Planning Authority has now refused the application for the reasons listed below. These very robust and comprehensive reasons for refusal do not, of course, rule out the possibility of an appeal by the developers to the Secretary of State. We shall see.

1. The proposal represents inappropriate development in the Green Belt for which no very special circumstances have been demonstrated. It will result in the site having a more urban character, will diminish the openness and harm the visual amenities of the Green Belt, and conflict with the purposes of including land within it. It is therefore contrary to Policy GB1 of the Spelthorne Borough Local Plan 2001and Section 9 (Protecting Green Belt Land) of the Government's National Planning Policy Framework 2012.

2. The site lies within Flood Zone 3a/3b defined by the Planning Practice Guidance to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) as having a high probability of flooding. The proposed development will result in a loss of flood plain storage within the 1 in 100 with an appropriate allowance for climate change flood extent. In addition, the applicant has failed to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Local Planning Authority that an acceptable Sustainable Drainage Scheme can be achieved on the site. The proposed development will therefore increase the risk of flooding both on-site and elsewhere which is contrary to Policy LO1 of the Core Strategy and Policies DPD 2009, the Supplementary Planning Document on Flooding 2012 and Section 10 of the NPPF.

3. The site is in an unsustainable location where future residents of the proposed development would have to rely on private motorised forms of transport in order to reach education, employment, leisure and retail land uses due to the distance that a good range of these land uses are from the site and because of the inadequate street lighting and footway between the site and the nearest public transport, contrary to Policy CC2 of the Core Strategy and Policies DPD, 2009 an the NPPF, 2012.

4. Insufficient ecological surveys have been submitted with the application and it is not therefore possible to ascertain the full impact of the proposal on any protected species. The proposal is therefore contrary to Circular 06/2005, Policy EN8 of the Council's Core Strategy and Policies DPD, 2009 and Section 11 of the NPPF.

5. The proposal involves the creation of more than 15 residential units and only 4 affordable units are to be provided in the scheme. The applicant has failed to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Local Planning Authority that it is not financially viable to provide a greater proportion of affordable housing on the site. The development is therefore contrary to Policy HO3 of the Core Strategy and Policies DPD, 2009.

6. The proposal fails to provide an adequate provision of smaller sized dwellings (one or two bedroom units) of which there is a shortage within the Borough. It therefore does not comply with Policy HO4 of the Spelthorne Development Plan Core Strategy and Policies DPD, 2009 and the Supplementary Planning Document on Housing Size and Type, 2012.