POUNDBURY - PHILOSOPHY
Text from a publication by The  Duchy of Cornwall
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An exemplary urban addition

The Duchy of Cornwall has long been an influential landowner and builder. Earlier this century it created a pioneer housing scheme on its London estate at Kennington using distinguished architects. In the i 198o's the opportunity arose to build a significant new extension to Dorchester on 400 acres of Duchy land. As The Duke of Cornwall, The Prince of Wales - who is well-known for his views on architecture and planning - took the opportunity to work with West Dorset District Council to contribute an exemplary urban addition to this ancient market town. His book, A Vision of britain, published in i 1989, re-examined many of the accepted precepts of urban and rural planning. Poundbury is the first new community in Britain where, with the help of leading architects and planners and assistance from the local authority, the thoughtful principles on planning and architecture in A Vision of britain are being put into practice.
     

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Dorchester and the Princes Poundbury Philosophy

Dorset is an ancient and beautiful part of England. The Dorchester area was settled as early as the Iron Age and the hill fort of Maiden Castle still dominates the countryside west of the town. The Romans created the town Durnovaria in AD43. Known as Dornwerecester in Saxon times, the town was immortalized as Casterbridge in Thomas Hardy's novels.

The Duchy of Cornwall has owned land here since 1342 and like many towns in the southwest, Dorchester has gradually expanded, particularly in the 19th century. It remains, however, one of the smallest county towns in England. The local planning authority - WestDorset District Council - selected the Duchy's land on Dorchester's western edge as its favoured place for future expansion in 1987 in order to accommodate local housing need; land largely occupied by Poundbury Farm.

The Prince of Wales, with the Duchy, was determined that Poundbury would be a modern development that respected the traditions of the past whilst also looking forward to the requirements of the 21st century and beyond.

However, the philosophy of Poundbury is not just about the architecture as is often thought.
It is very much to do with the careful, detailed planning of an attractive, modern and pleasing place in which people can live, work, shop and play. Central to the Poundbury concept is that a new development of this size should include not just houses and flats, but also work places, shops, schools, leisure and community buildings - sensitively arranged, unlike most recent housing estates.

This holistic approach to the planning of Poundbury meant that the designers had to create townscape, landscape and road layout in ways which might encourage the growth of an integrated community.
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