CONCERNED residents have blasted a Borough of Poole (BOP) plan which could see up to 350 houses built at a popular recreation ground in Hamworthy.

Civic officials have already agreed to bankroll an £80,000 study into the viability of the 7.766 ha site, which includes Turlin Moor Recreation Ground.

Although it is very much early days, if the scheme was to go ahead a large swathe of the recreation ground could be lost to new homes.

Upton resident Pete Gover, aged 66, who grew up on Turlin Moor in the 1960s and now lives close by, told the Daily Echo: "This has always been a playing field for the people of Turlin Moor. Under the ground here is all coke and soot from the old power station.

"Beyond the pavilion building, which I understand is also part of this proposed site, the fields are on a former household rubbish tip.

"They'll never get the land over there as dry as it is here so the kids can play on it.

"This land was given to the people of Poole. Any housing development would be wrong."

Another resident, who told the Echo she'd lived on Turlin Moor for 47 years, said the recreation ground floods and becomes very boggy every year.

"We stopped development here 22 years ago when they wanted to build on it. Back then it was said the fields had been left for the people of Poole.

"I know people have to live somewhere but there are bigger spaces a little bit further out."

Meanwhile, Ben Cooper, from Poole, who was walking his dog on the recreation ground, said the council must have better places to put new housing.

"Why wreck everyone's park? There's a large estate here, it needs to stay as it is," he said. "If it was down to me it wouldn't be going ahead.

"Also, if you put new houses here the traffic on Blandford Road would be ten time worse than it already is."

BOP is looking at a number of sites in and around the borough, and on green belt land to the north of the town, in a bid to meet an estimated 14,200 new homes which are required to be built by 2033 to meet growing housing need.

The council's planning and regeneration member Cllr Ian Potter says the Turlin Moor North scheme, which includes new recreational areas and community space, has the potential to "deliver a significant number of new affordable homes for people living in Poole."