The Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge, headed by its Patron The Duke of Cambridge and operated by Fields in Trust (FiT), is a programme to protect 2012 outdoor recreational spaces in communities all across the country as a permanent living legacy of these landmark occasions.

Benefits to the community of a Fields in Trust designation include:

• safeguarding recreational space for the future;

• a way to mark the Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Olympics;

• a permanent legacy;

• an opportunity to increase participation in activities and volunteering;

• improved community cohesion and engagement;

• PR opportunities;

• part of a national campaign;

• the public are involved in decision making activities;

• opportunity to apply for specific site improvement funding

It is proposed that the Council’s criteria for selecting sites to be put forward as QEII FiT are that any proposed site should:

• Meet all the Fields in Trust criteria

• Be supported by the local community

• Be supported by local Councillors

• Be a Council owned and managed public open space used for recreational purposes

Government funding

Designation as a QEII FiT gives residents groups unique eligibility for application to specific site improvement funding managed by Fields in Trust.

£11 million has been released by the Government for the development of QEII open spaces. This funding has a strong focus on volunteers delivering projects that protect outdoor recreational space as well as capital projects that develop playing fields for sporting and community use.

Council obligations

By dedicating land as a QEII FiT the Council will be placed under additional obligations and the use to which the land can be put is restricted.  However the additional obligations do not require any changes to the day to day management of the sites although the areas must be promoted as parks/open space as appropriate.

The future use of each QEII area would be limited to use as a public open space within the designation specific to that site and the Trust would seek to enforce the deed of dedication to ensure this continued.

CURRENT NOMINATIONS IN POOLE

The Council is creating a policy for designating pieces of open space as QEII Fields in Trust and the following sites are the first to be designated:

Baiter

Whitecliff

Broadstone Recreation Ground

Plainfield Farm recreation Ground

Should the community groups involved wish to access the external funding then more detail will be presented here in the future.