Stoneleigh and Auriol Residents' Association 

Founded in 1933

75th Anniversary Year and still looking after the needs of all the residents in Stoneleigh  

An introduction and welcome to

Stoneleigh and Auriol Residents’ Association (SARA) 

from the Chairman, Bill Slaughter

Dear Visitor
I am delighted to welcome you to the website of Stoneleigh and Auriol Residents’ Association (SARA). With more than 2,500 member households in Stoneleigh Ward and Auriol Ward, SARA is the largest of all the RA's in Epsom and Ewell. It is also widely regarded as being the most active. SARA (formerly Stoneleigh Residents' Association) is one of the longest established residents' associations in the borough and celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. If you live in Stoneleigh, you can become a member of SARA for just £2.00 per year. To join, simply contact the Joint Registrar for your ward listed here > Officers. To read more about the Association, click here > About SARA. To contact SARA by e-mail, please use this e-mail address: chairman@stoneleighandauriol.co.uk 
(Photo courtesy of www.garethharmer.com) 

SARA's 75th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION DINNER - CHANGE OF DATE: 
To celebrate SARA's 75th Anniversary this year, SARA has organised a special dinner which will be held on Saturday 25th October 2008 (not 18th October, as previously stated). The Mayor and Mayoress of Epsom & Ewell, Councillor Alan and Mrs Vanessa Winkworth, have kindly agreed to attend the dinner as our Guests of Honour. Special Guests include Mr David Smith, Epsom & Ewell Borough Council's Chief Executive, and Mrs Jenny Smith. The Anniversary Dinner will be held in The Banqueting Suite at Bourne Hall, Ewell Village. All members, their guests, and friends of the Association are warmly invited to join us on this very special occasion. 

A Sherry  Reception will precede the Three-course Dinner, with Coffee and Mints to follow. Eligo, the caterers, have created a truly mouth-watering menu, with a wide choice of selections for each course. Tickets are available NOW - so be sure to apply promptly as numbers are limited! For full details of this not to be missed event, including ticket price, downloadable order form and how to reserve and obtain your tickets, click here > 75th Anniversary Dinner. 

CUDDINGTON AVENUE SCHOOL LAND DEVELOPMENT - LATEST:
The 17-page objection report commissioned by Cuddington Avenue Advisory Group from a top London-based firm of Chartered Surveyors as part of its campaign to prevent the proposed development being built on the site by Fairview New Homes has, on legal advice, been withdrawn temporarily from Epsom & Ewell Borough Council. This follows a refusal by Mr Mark Berry, Head of Planning, to give an undertaking that his planning officers would not disclose the report's contents to the developer. For the latest information, click here > School Land Development.   

The advisory group retained the firm to assist in its campaign to defeat the planning application Fairview New Homes has submitted to Epsom & Ewell Borough Council. The firm’s senior partner - a specialist planning consultant – has produced a 17-page report on the proposed scheme that identifies and details fourteen major grounds for refusal of the application. The report will be presented to the Council’s Planning Committee, together with more than four hundred and seventy-five written objections from local residents, when the planning application is debated by the Committee in October. 

There is still time to send in a written objection to the scheme if you have not already done so. Every objection will count. The Council’s senior planning officer has confirmed that even written objections received up to two weeks before the Planning Committee meeting will be placed before the committee. For full details, click here > School Land Development. 

Cuddington Avenue Advisory Group's Co-ordinator, Chris Franklin (right) at the Town Hall
with the Group's Chairman, Bill Slaughter, delivering 475 letters of objection
to Fairview New Homes' controversial planning application.  

Fairview New Homes submitted a planning application to Epsom & Ewell Borough Council on 18th July 2008 (at a cost of £16,415.00) in respect of their controversial existing proposed scheme, for two huge blocks of flats up to 3-storeys high (Block A for 20 'affordable' - i.e., social rented dwellings and Block B for 29 'sheltered accommodation' flats – although this use could easily be changed to social rented housing too). The overall scheme comprises of 99 beds - 4 x 1-bed flats, 40 x 2-bed flats and 5 x 3-bed flats – with just 30 off-street parking places (including 2 disabled parking places). The plan-app number is 08/00603/FUL. Anyone wishing to view the plans can do so at the Town Hall or Bourne Hall Library, during normal opening hours. PLEASE NOTE: The plans do not give a true perspective of the height of the blocks of flats or the extent of overshadowing to nearby residential properties and The Auriol and Mead schools.

YOUR SARA COUNCILLORS:
All your elected Stoneleigh and Auriol Residents' Association borough and county councillors serve on a wide-ranging variety of council committees, panels and outside bodies. To view the complete list click here > Councillors. 

AURIOL BOWLS CLUB - SARA'S PRESENTATION OF NEW PAVILION CLOCK:
It was with great pleasure that, together with SARA's Hon Secretary, Mike Sampson, I unveiled the new pavilion clock, recently donated by Stoneleigh and Auriol Residents' Association (SARA) to Auriol Bowls Club, who play at Auriol Park. The clock has been mounted in the dining area, above a commemorative plaque.

SARA Chairman, Bill Slaughter (right), pictured at the unveiling of the new Auriol Park Pavilion clock
with Mr Ken Shute (centre), Secretary of Auriol Bowls Club, together with SARA's Hon Secretary, Mike Sampson (left). 

The commemorative plaque below the clock.

The Pavilion in Auriol Park.

POSSIBLE SCAM:
A possible scam has been highlighted where a bunch of rhubarb, or something similar is left tied with an elastic band on a front wall of a house. The person leaving it would check after a few days to see if it had been removed, and if not, then that would suggest that the occupants could be away, especially during the summer holiday period. For any further advice please contact your Crime Reduction Advisor, PC Phil Grant on 01483 637 079 or e-mail: 2092@surrey.pnn.police.uk

THE MAYOR OF EPSOM & EWELL'S CHARITY EVENTS:
A new link has been created on the website to feature forthcoming events in aid of the Mayor of Epsom & Ewell's Charities. For full details click here > The Mayor's Charity Events.

URGENT WARNING:
We have received reports regarding the theft of manhole-covers from various locations in the borough. Manhole-cover thefts cause immense danger to pedestrians and vehicles. Should you see anybody removing a manhole-cover in suspicious circumstances, please dial 999 immediately. 

STONELEIGH WARD RA COUNCILLOR ELECTED MAYOR OF EPSOM & EWELL:
Councillor Alan Winkworth, one of SARA’s three Stoneleigh Ward RA councillors, officially became Mayor of Epsom & Ewell at a special annual meeting of Epsom & Ewell Borough Council at the Town Hall on Tuesday 13th May 2008. 
Councillor Winkworth will serve as the 2008/2009 Mayor of Epsom & Ewell and will perform various duties in his Civic role, from visiting residents, organisations, sports, church and community groups to attending events and activities.
The new Mayor has selected three charities to support throughout the coming year; Epsom & Ewell Citizens Advice Bureau, The Butterfly Appeal and Epsom & Ewell Scouts, and will work hard along with his supportive team of representatives to raise money for these worthwhile causes. He also announced his Chaplain for the municipal year as Reverend Lynn Helmuth from St John the Baptist in Stoneleigh.
Alan Winkworth will be accompanied by his wife Vanessa, the Mayoress and will be supported by outgoing Mayor, Councillor Jean Steer, who becomes Alan’s deputy. 
Alan said, “It is an honour to be Mayor of Epsom & Ewell, but especially because it is a special year in the Borough’s calendar as we celebrate the 75th anniversary since the joining of Epsom with Ewell.
My wife and I are looking forward to meeting as many people as possible over the course of the year and along with the help from my charity committee, hope to raise as much as we can for my three chosen charities. Epsom & Ewell Citizens Advice Bureau helps a lot of people of all ages who may not be able to afford professional and legal advice. Epsom & Ewell Scouts is a charity close to my heart as both my sons were scouts and became leaders and it is a hobby which teaches young people good life skills. 
Cancer seems to affect every one of us in some way and The Butterfly Appeal is an outstanding local charity whose nurses provide excellent palliative care for patients of all ages who are living with cancer." 

For further details of Councillor Winkworth's election as Mayor of Epsom & Ewell for 2008/2009 click here > Latest SARA News. 

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE PANEL:
Neighbourhood Police Panel meetings are held on a quarterly basis and a new weekly police surgery is now being held at Stoneleigh Library. The surgery is designed to provide a weekly point of contact for the community and police. Victim Support Surrey is now offering a drop-in service at their Epsom office, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning, for people who have been the victim of a crime. For full details of all these services click here > Useful Local Information.