Prince Charles’ idealised 18th century town

The 400 acres of former agricultural land on which Poundbury is being built, is owned by the “Duchy of Cornwall”, a legacy established in the 14th century by Edward III  for his eldest son, the Black Prince

Construction began in 1993 and is aimed to be competed by 2025 

Aerial view of Poundbury

Prince Charles wants to see a return to “traditional architecture”

There are no “Poundshops” in Poundbury – but there is a Waitrose..!

Aside from Waitrose and the 2 pubs, shops and business premises are very quiet

In 1988 Charles appointed urban theorist and planner Léon Krier to plan an “urban village”, specifying that it had to be a “dense”, “walkable”, and “sustainable” model for suburban development.

Is Poundbury “DENSELY PEOPLED”..? 6000 inhabitants (ultimately) on 400 acres (160 hectares) equates to about 3750 per km2, somewhat denser than average for country towns.  But still much lower density than what is ideal for a walkable community.   

Is Poundbury “WALKABLE”..? – One could walk from one end to the other in 15-20 minutes but, unlike an OA-city, it wouldn’t be a comfortable walk in windy, rainy, or cold weather. 

Is Poundbury “SUSTAINABLE”..?  If that means “self-sufficient” in energy, water, and food then, unlike an OA-city, it is as un-sustainable as any other car-dependent urbanisation.  

Is Poundbury “AFFORDABLE”..?   Most definitely NOT – its houses/flats are considerably more expensive than in neighbouring Dorchester.  

“Poundbury is a merry riot of porticoes and pilasters, mansards and mouldings, sampling from the rich history of architectural pattern books”

In August 2017 I visited Poundbury for the 3rd time and stayed in the “Duchess of Cornwall” pub/hotel. Those who like whimsical architecture will find Poundbury quite appealing, although many find it sterile.  Although it is claimed to be “walkable”, the streets are eerily deserted and the shops and business premises (aside from the 2 pubs) are almost empty.  

Poundbury is unlike other “new towns” as there are no garages attached to the houses and residents are prohibited from parking on the street outside their houses.  But almost everyone has a car safely out of sight in nearby mews lock-ups.  With a projected population of about 6,000 (mainly retirees, because its expensive) it is probably too small to establish an independent economy and, as I didn’t see any buses (not saying there aren’t any), car-commuting is more-or-less essential.  

I consider 5,000 inhabitants to be the minimum population threshold for a viable self-contained community.  But this assumes a natural age distribution and not a posh village for well-to-do retirees as Poundbury effectively is