BOROUGH councillors at Sittingbourne have unanimously turned down a proposal to hold regular speedway meetings at the Central Park Stadium. Earlier a spirited objection to the proposal by local resident Jennie Chandler earned a round of applause in the council chamber.

Mrs Chandler used her three minutes public speaking time to emphasise the unacceptable noise levels that speedway at the Church Road stadium in Murston would create. One by one, she demolished all the arguments in favour of the proposal. "Speedway is not family entertainment. It will not benefit the community because the crowds will not go anywhere near the town, " she said.

"The noise from the bikes is estimated at 102 decibels. Who knows what 102 decibels sounds like? I've since learned it's like at jet plane at close quarters. Already we can hear the noise from the crowds, the barking of the dogs and even distant railway announcements.

"We know the 500cc speedway bikes have no brakes and it will sound like Formula 1. We're told there'll be 28 meetings a year, but what about the practices, the noise of warm-ups, the tinkering in the pits, the loud speaker announcements and solid streams of nose-to-tail cars leaving the stadium at 10pm?

"Many children will be trying to sleep. They will have school on the following day. In 1993 we were told there would be greyhound racing three times a week, and never on Sundays. But, there is racing on Sundays. How long would it be before the number of speedway meetings would creep up? "And as for safety, what do we know of the barriers. They've never been tested ?

Mrs Chandler, of Hearne Close, Murston, was concerned about the lack of police to control estimated crowds of up to 5,000. She added: "What of the need for an ambulance to be permantly sited - not a St John ambulance, but an NHS one?

Mr Simon Bullock, agent for Go Speed Ltd, the applicants wishing to introduce speedway racing, said the stadium was currently underused and the introduction of speedway would help to realise its potentiaL

"Every effort would be made to limit the impact of noise. The benefits would outweigh the concerns. We would be providing an amenity not available in Swale or currently in Kent, " he said.