Welcome to Sudbury Town Residents' Association (STRA)

STRA is a non-political, non-sectarian group that aims to encourage our community (including the shops in Sudbury Town) to work together for a cleaner, greener, and safer area in which to live. Until December 2022 we were your local neighbourhood forum and developed a Neighbourhood Plan for Sudbury details of which can be found here. For more information about our history and achievements to date click here. Volunteers are always needed to help with events and to join our committees. If you would like to join us and be involved we would like to hear from you so send us an email.

 

 If you would like to become a member of STRA, signing up couldn’t be easier. Download the STRA application form and either email it back to us or pop it in the post. The address is on the contact us page.

The date of the next meeting can be found here. The next agenda will appear on the  members page, Members will need to have their password ready.

 

At the beginning of every meeting you can apply for a three minute soap box slot where you can raise a local topic which is important to you and other residents in the area, i.e. dumped rubbish, anti-social behaviour etc.   



At our regular meetings we are happy to welcome speakers on a variety of subjects from our local National Trust group to safer neighbourhood policing, local councillors, Wembley History Society etc.   If you would like to suggest a topic please email or phone in your ideas.

  

Find out more about Sudbury on the Sudbury wikipedia page.

Email

Contact us by email

Twitter

Find us on  X (Formerly Twitter)

Facebook

Find us on facebook.

Instagram

Find us on instagram

What do you want to do today?

If you care about Sudbury, why not join us?

A Neighbourhood Forum for Sudbury

STRA Executive Committee met with the Sudbury Matters Executive Team on Monday 12 February 2024.  Sudbury Matters (SM), is a new group which started in November 2023.  Sudbury Matters wishes to be the next Forum for Sudbury.   

Unfortunately, Brent Council refused to renew the STRA Forum renewal application. 

During the meeting Sudbury Matters provided comprehensive information regarding their newly set up group and confirmed that SM had applied to Brent Council to become the Forum for Sudbury and a small part of Northwick Park and Wembley Central Wards for the next five years. Accordingly, Brent Council published Sudbury Matters application on 18 January 2024 for the mandatory 6-week consultation.  The closing date is Thursday, 29 February 2024.

At the meeting on Monday 12 February 2024, the Sudbury Matters Executive Team confirmed that they intend to adhere and keep to the existing Neighbourhood Plan which is approved and accepted by Brent Council.  Sudbury Matters Executive also confirmed that SM’s Constitution states that SM will protect and preserve the green space listed under the following Policies in the Neighbourhood Plan.  SM also confirmed that they will not change the following policies:

POLICY LGS1: Local Green Space
Sudbury Town Neighbourhood Plan designates Local Green Space in the following:
LGS1 Butlers Green;
LGS2 Barham Park;
LGS 3 Vale Farm;
LGS4 Maybank Open Space.
These areas will be given long-term protection 

POLICY BG1: Butlers Green
POLICY BP1: Barham Park

To view the policies in the Neighbourhood Plan, go to the Brent Council’s website and search “Neighbourhood Plans”  

Because Sudbury Matters has confirmed that they will protect and preserve all the green spaces in Sudbury, the Sudbury Town Residents’ Association (STRA) Executive Team recommends you vote for Sudbury Matters to be given the status of FORUM for the next five years.  Please complete the simple online survey:

https://haveyoursay.brent.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/designation-of-sudbury-town-as-a-neighbourhood-forum

Let us work together to make Sudbury CLEANER GREENER SAFER.

Update on Forum Status Expiring

The Sudbury Town Residents’ Association (STRA) status as a Neighbourhood Forum expired in December 2022.

Its application for forum status submitted in December 2022 was refused by the Council on 16 November 2023. Reasons for this decision can be viewed in the STRA application cabinet paper together with the formal decision notice.

Update: A delegated decision is expected on 8th January 2024, with the consultation to start around 17th January 2024.

STRA disagrees with many of the reasons stated and our response can be seen in the document below.

STRA response
STRA response to Paul Lewin
Paul_Lewin_response_15_Jan_2024.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [290.7 KB]

In response to this document we had the following email

 

Email from Paul Lewin dated 19 January 2024 to the STRA Chair

 

Thank you, I note your comments but do not consider that they impact on the Council’s position as set out in the Cabinet report, which has also been to Scrutiny committee and deemed to be a sound decision.

 

The Cabinet report indicated that an independent Locality approved, experienced neighbourhood planning mediator and advisor sought to work with STRA and Sudbury Matters. This was with a view to creating a new single organisation with an appropriate constitution, capable of applying for and attaining neighbourhood forum status. We are still of the view that this is the best way forward in producing a neighbourhood forum that fulfils the function of representing all parts of the neighbourhood area. As you are aware consultation on the prospective Sudbury Town Neighbourhood Forum has begun, this application reflects the outcomes of that group’s positive engagement with Urban Vision.

 

The Council urges STRA to re-engage with that group in the application process so that it can be represented in and contribute to a broader forum for the area.

 

Regards

 

Paul Lewin

 

Team Leader Planning Policy

 

Communities & Regeneration Brent Council 

The STRA response to this email was

 

Dave Chetwyn (Mediator and Advisor) was approved and appointed by Brent Council.  Dave Chetwyn set up a meeting at the Civic Centre with STRA Executive Committee and Sudbury Matters.

 

STRA Executive Team attended only one meeting at the Civic Centre with Dave Chetwyn, Mediator and Sudbury Matters in July 2023.  Council Officer Ciara Whelehan was in attendance and was taking minutes of the meeting.  The minutes of that meeting was not shared with STRA.  STRA requested the minutes many many times, but till date STRA have not received a copy of the minutes.   Questions were raised at that meeting but were never addressed.  Minutes of a meeting is a MUST as this brings clarity, transparency, accuracy and a record which can be referred to in the future.

 

STRA Executive are surprised at the assumption by the Cabinet and the Scrutiny Committee that STRA does not represent all parts of Sudbury.  But the Cabinet and the Scrutiny Committee believe that Sudbury Matters represent the wider and diverse community in Sudbury.  Where is the evidence to support this assumption?

 

STRA was established in 2011.  In 2012 STRA was given Forum Status and renewed in 2017.  STRA is known throughout the Borough of Brent and has worked with council officers in harmony since 2011 – almost 12 years.  

 

The first time STRA was made aware of Sudbury Matters was February 2023.  STRA was then advised by Brent Council that there was a second contender for Forum Status in Sudbury.

 

Has Sudbury Matters had an AGM?  If so, when?  Why was STRA not invited to the AGM?  STRA is being constantly told by Brent Council that STRA is not inclusive enough and does not represent the community!!   It does not seem that Sudbury Matters represent the wider diverse community either.  STRA EC and the wider membership are questioning the validity of these actions.

 

STRA has always knocked on doors and communicated constantly with the diverse community.  Where is the evidence that Sudbury Matters has also reached out to the diverse community.

 

Local news

See the attached article where STRA is mentioned in the comments. The article is about a second Friends of Barham Park.

 

https://wembleymatters.blogspot.com/2023/09/second-friends-of-barham-park-announced.html?m=1 

 

Jalaram Community Centre


Several residents have approached STRA to express their concerns over a recent event at the Jalaram Community Centre and the council’s response to their concerns.


To collect more evidence, STRA has produced a survey that can be accessed via the link below. The purpose of the survey is to try and gauge the number of residents that were affected and in what way.


If you were affected by this event in any way, please help us by completing the survey.
 

 

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/stra?fbclid=IwAR0pkqZ07wBqNdsdHuNfJ1pr4MlUZCoUxMt887uGleN1c_9Jtmh07mo1-JQ

Join us!

Do you live in Sudbury? Are you passionate about improving the area? Guess what, so are we!

 

We've got regular meetings, plenty of social events and a burning desire to maintain everything that's great about Sudbury – and see what we can do to improve the not-so-great parts too.

 

Join STRA today and do as much or as little as you like.

  
Tel: 020 8144 5645

E-mail: info@stra.org.uk

 

Get involved!

Are you good at anything? Do you have skills we might need?

 

Seriously, anything at all!

 

Whatever skills or experience you have, we could use your help. We've got lots of ongoing campaigns, projects and ideas and we would simply love it if you got involved!

 

To find out more about getting involved, email info@stra.org.uk, with the subject heading "Get involved!", and briefly introduce yourself.

News

Next Meeting 

For details of the next members meeting and a write up of our AGM click here. 

Christmas Party

The Christmas party was a great sussess. Look out for some photos soon.

Social Media

STRA has two Facebook Pages, one for general STRA matters and one for events. Sudbury Town also has its own Facebook page.