Dorchester is set to get desperately-needed top class sports facilities.

A cricket oval, football pitches and state of the art tennis facilities are all being lined up for Prince Charles' model village on the edge of Dorchester.

It was revealed today that the Duchy of Cornwall is forging ahead with proposals for the cricket and football facilities.

The Duchy agreed to provide leisure and sporting facilities as part of its original planning permission for Poundbury.

As part of the deal, land known as the 'great field' was set aside and members of West Dorset District Council's environment committee will hear next week that the Duchy is now being asked to come up with proposals for the facilities which would include changing rooms for players.

Coun Ken Lambert, chairman of Dorchester Town Council's recreation and allotments committee, said: "When the Poundbury site was first planned there was a Section 106 agreement in place whereby the Duchy has to provide certain land for recreation.

"As you go up the road to Poundbury they have set aside land know as the great field and that is where the Duchy are now going ahead with providing a cricket field initially.

"We would also like to see more football pitches but there is a difference of opinion to the best way to provide them and we are thrashing that out," said Coun Lambert.

Simon Conibear, development manager at Poundbury said: "We would like to bring forward a cricket ground here and it's subject to further discussions with West Dorset District Council."

And the proposals for new tennis facilities at Poundbury, are also moving ahead with the backing of the Lawn Tennis Association, although it's not yet known where the centre of excellence will be built. The new facilities, which would see the Dorchester Squash and Tennis Club move from its base at Sawmills, Weymouth Avenue to Poundbury, were originally planned to include a pool and leisure centre, but that part of the scheme was dropped when it became clear National Lottery funding would not be available.

Neil Darragh, Dorset county development officer for the LTA, who has been working with the Dorchester club on the proposals, said the reduced scheme was still on the cards.

"The LTA have said that it is interested in funding the costs of the new tennis and squash facilities in Dorchester and it is likely that the LTA will fund the majority of it.

"The county LTA are also looking at contributing to the cost to enable it to run as a local and county club for tennis training. The plans are still very much in the pipeline and we hope to proceed although we have not set a date for when it is going to go ahead."

Mr Conibear said: "The tennis and squash courts are still very much part of our plan subject to funding."