A Brief History Of Poundbury

Poundbury is the brainchild of Prince Charles, who has always held strong views about the environment, architecture and the gradual loss of the traditional British village, with its emphasis on community and cohesion. Resting on 400 acres of land that he owns as the Duchy of Cornwall, Poundbury has 250 acres of land that is mixed use buildings, with landscaping making up the remaining 150 acres. This article covers a brief history of Poundbury.

The Prince’s Vision

The Prince’s vision was to create a community that could prove there was a genuine alternative to the current way government and local councils go about building communities in the UK. Poundbury would be a place where people had priority over cars, where traditional village life could continue has it has done in the UK for centuries. With direction by the Prince, it was Leon Krier, the distinguished architect from Luxembourg that developed the overall plan for Poundbury. With construction starting in 1993, there are a total of four development phases over a projected 25 year period within the Poundbury plan, resulting in a total population of 6000 in 2500 homes. Completion is now expected by 2025.