MOVES to protect Poole’s Whitecliff and Baiter recreation grounds could be given a Royal seal of approval under plans being considered by the council.

The Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge, headed by the Duke of Cambridge and operated by Fields in Trust, is a programme to protect outdoor recreation spaces across the country in the year of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics.

Community representatives have had discussions with the council about pursuing Queen Elizabeth II Fields in Trust status for the two recreation grounds, known together as Harbourside Park.

Campaigners have indicated they would drop efforts to designate the land as a town or village green if the Fields in Trust application was successful.

The public will be invited to comment on the idea at a meeting of Poole council’s Newtown and Parkstone area committee on Wednesday, January 11, 7pm, at Parkstone Evangelical Church Hall, Ringwood Road.