The next Music Night at the SCC falls on Friday 11th September when the Club welcomes 3 AM for the first time. They are an excellent rocking blues band who gig regularly and are well-received wherever they go. A very entertaining evening of up-front blues rock in the classic Sunbury Music Night tradition is guaranteed.

Leader and guitarist Tim Renton was in Reign back in the ‘70s signed to EMI, supporting the likes of Genesis, Moody Blues and Family on major tours, and he was also in The Wombles, appearing on Top of the Pops on a number of occasions. Lead singer is Laura Long, an exciting and raunchy vocalist who has worked on the jazz scene over the years, while keyboard player Chris Parren is a seasoned session musician who has toured or recorded with The Strawbs, AC/DC, James Burton, Maggie Bell, Hudson-Ford, Jim Capaldi, Judy Tzuke and George Michael; and also starred/played in 70’s TV hit “Rock Follies”. The line-up is completed by Phil Evans (bass) and drummer Jamie Fisher, both with a lengthy pedigree in the business.

Their dynamic stage act features a high proportion of original material, and they have established a great reputation – Lemonrock’s Mac Mclaren said of them “I love the band – so professional and involving, and Laura is just brilliant”. There’s lots of music and video on their web site at www.3am.uk.com, so check them out.

For those of you interested in the Club’s fortunes on the cricket field, the 1st XI sealed their place as champions of the Premier Division of the Surrey Championship last Saturday, and the 3rd XI also finished top of their league, so it’s been a good season – congratulations to all the teams. 

After a number of false starts (see articles of 21/1/14, 7/3/14 & 3/7/14) the cattle grazing in Subury Park will start on 3rd September with a two month trial.

We are not certain how the trial will be monitored nor how it will be judged to have been a success or failure.

The Friends of Sunbury Park (FoSP) have been closely involved in this project from its inception and will doubtless publicise the results in due course.

In 2014, LOSRA commissioned a report by the engineering consultancy Ramboll into the feasibility of a pedestrian/cycle bridge to connect Lower Sunbury with the Thames Path on the Walton side of the river. The report offered five alternative locations for a bridge, with estimated costs ranging from £4.1m to £5.2m.

Following receipt of the report, LOSRA initiated a public consultation through the consulting firm Cratus Communications, generously funded by a private donor.

A total of 911 local residents responded to the feasibility study's options. Overwhelming support for the proposal was shown by 93% of respondents with only 3% against. 4% were undecided or did not show a clear preference.

To see the one-page executive summary, click here

If you have more time for the thorough and detailed report, click here

Since the public consultation, LOSRA has continued to campaign for a pedestrian and cycle bridge.

In 2022, Surrey County Council commissioned a review of the Ramboll report. This review was conducted by Atkins, the well-known engineering consultancy. The Atkins review concluded that the cost of Option B, the most popular location (Flowerpot Green), would range from £21.4m to £33.6m. The substantial disparity between this estimate and the 2015 one, even accounting for inflation, has made LOSRA question the SCC estimate.

By comparison, the Christchurch pedestrian and cycle bridge over the Thames in Reading was completed with a very similar design requirement for £5.9m in 2015, the equivalent of £7.85m in 2022 (according to the Government’s infrastructure cost index). In addition, the reported cost of the 2022 Barnes railway bridge riverside underpass was just £3m.

Most recently, LOSRA has suggested to SCC and the Environment Agency that a new bridge might be included as part of the so-called River Thames Scheme. The RTS, a £640m project (2022 estimate), has been proposed to reduce the risk of flooding between Egham and Teddington. Most relevantly, it incorporates significant ‘active travel’ routes - which would only be accessible to Sunbury residents if there were a bridge at Sunbury. We will continue to press for our bridge.

The following update on the 'Eco Park' development at the Community Recycling Centre (CRC) at Charlton Lane has been received by LOSRA:

I am writing to you with some information on the Charlton Lane Community Recycling Centre in Shepperton that is used by residents in your area, which I hope you will find helpful.

During week commencing Monday 24th August we will begin work on a new reuse centre for the recycling centre.  The area where this will be built is clear of containers, and hoarding's will be erected to screen the building works from residents using the recycling centre.  We therefore anticipate that there will be minimal disruption to the service from these works.

Two weeks later, during week commencing Monday 7th September, works will begin to the rear of the community recycling centre to build a ramp that will link the recycling centre with the Eco Park’s new recyclable bulking facility and install new drainage.  Works in this area are expected to continue into late November and the containers at the rear of the site will be unavailable during this period.  The site will continue to accept the full range of materials but with a reduced number of containers, and containers for wood, metal, carpet and cardboard will be relocated inside and adjacent to the transfer station building (those inside will be accessed through the windows).

The change to the layout of the containers and the temporary reduction in the number of containers means waiting times may be affected.

To minimise disruption during the forthcoming period of works, extra staff will be on hand to advise visitors of any changes to the layout of the containers and the opening time will be extended to 6pm Monday to Saturday.

We are also taking steps to inform residents who use the site by handing out flyers, placing adverts in the Surrey Advertiser and the Staines Informer and displaying a banner at the site.  The information for residents includes details of when the site is less busy (mid-week and earlier in the day) and details of the nearest alternative community recycling centre in Martyrs Lane, Woking.

Further information about the Eco Park can be found at www.ecoparksurrey.uk and if you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind Regards

Samuel Brownjohn
Recycling and waste recovery UK
Communications Executive

Recent changes to the road architecture in Thames Street designed to reduce speed are to be welcomed especially now that it is a designated 20mph zone. Unfortunately one unintended consequence has come to light following a recent downpour, and despite the potential problem having been raised at the initial planning consultation.

A local Thames Street resident's house has been 'battered' by a small river which formed outside his house (illustrated) and which appears to have been caused by poor drainage associated with the newly installed speed tables. The front door to the property swelled and expanded making it impossible for his wife to leave the house. She simply couldn't open the front door. It is reasonable to suppose that further heavy downpours can be expected as the autumn and winter approaches which makes a resolution to the problem a priority.

It may be that other residents in Thames Street have been similarly affected and, if so, are advised to draw it to the attention of our local County Councillor, Tim Evans at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. He has already been made aware of this particular resident's concerns.

Kevin Hurley, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey, invites residents to attend the next Spelthorne Crime Summit on 22nd September 2015 at Spelthorne Borough Council Offices. It should be noted that space is limited so those wishing to attend are advised to register early.

For details, click here

The Rugby World Cup kicks off in just under a month on the 18th September. Many residents were taken by surprise at the closure of the A316 for the England v France warm-up last Saturday. The 'test' closure will be repeated on 5th September for the England v Ireland warm-up fixture. These closures were deemed necessary to iron out any unforeseen promlems ahead of the ten closures which are planned for the Twickenham World Cup fixtures.

To see the relevant RWC dates and rationale behind the transport plan, click here

The public consultation by Heronslea on the development of Green Belt in Fordbridge Road (see article of 17th August below) has been cancelled. It will now take place at a later date yet to be confirmed. We will update this site just as soon as we have been made aware of any development proposals being put forward and the revised public consultation date. If you have not already done so, please sign up to our weekly e-bulletin at the top of this page.

Who Can You Trust (WCYT) is a not-for-profit community interest company administered by a semi-retired newspaper editor and set up with the sole aim of alerting and advising people in the 55+ age group about the need to be on their guard against internet scammers, doorstep rogues, fake lotteries, ATM fraudsters, rogue builders, dating tricksters and cheque overpayment fraud. The publications are produced in conjunction with Checkatrade, Surrey Council's preferred supplier of bone fide tradesmen.

The July newsletter for Surrey and the bi-monthly Watch Out magazine - can be viewed as a flip-page version online by clicking here: http://goo.gl/XD3Wn4

The Hertfordshire based company, Heronslea, have indicated their intention to develop the Old Nursery Site in Fordbridge Road and have booked St. Mary's Church Hall on 25th August from 3pm - 8pm to hold a public consultation. Discussions are still ongoing with the local planning authority so further details of the intended development are not yet forthcoming.

LOSRA has expressed its disappointment at the short notice given for this event and we have been advised that the consultation event will be postponed if the pre-application discussions with the LPA have not been concluded in time. We will update the website as soon as we know more.

In the meantime, readers may wish to refer to the latest Keep Kempton Green bulletin 'Developers Circling Old Nursery Site' at the top of this page. As with KKG we are resolutely opposed to the development of our Green Belt in the absence of 'very special circumstances' and, as things stand, it is hard to identify what those 'circumstances' could possibly be.

The Leader of the Council and the Head of Planning Services for Spelthorne Council made their positions very clear at a recent public meeting. Green Belt will not be developed in order to meet a perceived or imaginary housing need. Our local plan makes this very clear.