A PRIVATE school is widely believed to be the successful bidder for Bournemouth’s historic cricket ground.

It is thought the Park School, which is based in Queens Park, submitted the highest bid for Dean Park cricket ground and has now exchanged contracts on the site.

The news is a blow for Active Dorset, who also bid for the site in the hope of securing the ground for sporting use.

In the absence of any information from the Park School, who do not wish to comment on the matter, sports clubs and residents are currently unclear what the future holds for the ground.

Central ward councillor David Smith said: “I would like to reassure residents we will fight robustly any inappropriate development on the site being proposed by the Park School.

“We are seeking an urgent meeting with the new owners to impress upon them the value of maintaining the ground primarily as a community asset.”

Fellow ward councillor Bob Chapman said: “It’s sad to hear that the Active Dorset bid has not been accepted. My main concern now is that the new owners will continue to make the ground available for county level cricket.”

Alastair Cowen, one of the trustees of the Cooper Dean Estates, confirmed contracts had been exchanged but said it was up to the new owners, and not them, to make any announcements about the future of the site.

Martin Kimberley, chief executive of Active Dorset, said: “Clearly we’re disappointed, we had a good proposal for the ground.

“Our interest now is to ensure cricket and sport continues to be played there.

“Our biggest fear was that it would be sold to a developer. That doesn’t seem to be the case. Hopefully the community will be able to use it going forward.”