News
downsmail.co.uk Gym exercises villagers’ minds
VILLAGERS at Leybourne have been getting hot under the collar over a bid to install an outdoor gym near their homes. More than 130 residents signed a petition against the parish council’s plan to site the enclosure with nine lime green and black machines on land near the Donkey Field in Lil- lieburn. The Kent County Council- owned open space is next to a children’s play area. Tonbridge and Malling council-
lors turned down the application which had been called in by bor-
ough Cllr Sophie Shrubsole be- cause of the large number of objec- tions to the scheme, mainly from people living near the site in Castle Way.
Funding for the £50,000 project
was pledged by Sport England with £14,000 from TaylorWimpey, developer of Leybourne Chase. The equipment would have stood on a greenwet pour surface surrounded by a low hooped fence. The parish council had planned to install CCTV at the site. But some villagers doubted the
need for the
gym.ACastleWay res- ident said: “This is a complete waste of Sport England resources which could be put to better use in more deprived areas of the county. I have seen these gymsin other areas and am yet to see any adults using them. All that I have seen is litter, graffiti and antisocial behaviour”. A Roundhay resident supported
the project, saying: “In the midst of an obesity epidemic in this country, what greater way could a commu- nity combat this than with an out- door gym that is accessible for
people of all ages regardless of their ability?” Parish council chairman Bob Ulph (pictured) said it had con- sulted on its short- list of three sites. He said that the outdoor gym
would have given a much-needed focus to the adult population and encourage them to get out in the village and take part in physical ac- tivity.
Mansion blaze thought to be arson
POLICE are investigating the the- ory that arsonists were to blame for a fire that gutted a former pro- fessional footballer’s luxury home in Aylesford. Daniel Spiller’s £1.5m mansion
Daniel Spiller (right) and the gutted shell (above) of the former foot- baller’s £1.5m luxury home (left)
was reduced to a shell in the blaze late one night at the property, off Salisbury Road, Blue Bell Hill. The 34-year old ex-Gillingham
and Millwall footballer was out when the fire began and nobody was injured in the blaze. Neighbours alerted the emer- gency services after seeing a
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12 Malling July 2016
bright orange glow from the five- bedroom property, which boasted its own cinema and bar. Mr Spiller’s £200,000 Ferrari es-
caped the blaze, which was housed in the nearby triple garage. Maidstone-born Spiller retired
from the professional game in 2012. A spokesman for Kent Police
said: “The fire was dealt with by crews from Kent Fire and Rescue Service. The firewas deemed to be suspicious and officers are now in- vestigating”.
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