POUNDBURY FACTSHEET ISSUE: JUNE 2018 1 CONTENTS OVERVIEW Poundbury is an urban extension to the Dorset county town A second survey of Poundbury businesses in 2015 found: 3. Overview 26: Contacts of Dorchester, built on Duchy of Cornwall land, according to Half of the businesses were first established in Poundbury 4. History: The Masterplan DIRECTORY principles of architecture and urban planning as advocated by HRH The Prince of Wales in his book ‘A Vision of Britain’. The strongest reasons for locating in Poundbury were 5. Architecture & Urban Design 28: Cafés and Restaurants It is currently home to some 3,000 people in a mix of private suitability of business accommodation, quality of place, 6. Shared Space & Mixed Use 30: Poundbury Property Sales and affordable housing, as well as providing employment for car parking, and access to customers some 2,364 people working in the 187 shops, cafés, offices 7. Affordable Housing 32: Poundbury Retail 50% of businesses agreed they have a strong chance of and factories. A further 550 are employed in construction expansion in the next 12 months 8. Business in Poundbury 36: Poundbury Businesses across the site. In 2010, Dorset County Council completed an economic 10. Community Begun in 1993, Poundbury is based on some of the timeless impact assessment of Poundbury, which concluded that the principles that have enabled many places around Britain Poundbury development had contributed over £330 million 11. The Management Companies to endure and thrive over the centuries. It is a high density in demand for goods and services to the local economy and & Poundbury Residents urban extension of Dorchester which gives priority to people, would contribute a further £500 million by 2025. The report Association rather than cars, and where commercial buildings are mixed estimated that from 1993 to 2010 the construction activity 12. Phases 1&2 with residential areas, shops and leisure facilities to create a alone had created the equivalent of 1,877 person-years in walkable community. The result is an attractive and pleasing employment and 1,049 business-years of work for business 13. South West Quadrant place, in which people live, work, shop and play. around Dorchester including the self-employed. In Poundbury 14. Queen Mother Square Poundbury was planned to challenge some of the zonal itself there are already over 2,364 people working in offices, planning assumptions of the latter part of the 20th Century shops and factories. 16. The Official Opening which led to ghettoised housing estates and out of town of Queen Mother Square In 2016 Savills Research cited Poundbury in its report ‘The shopping centres, forcing ever greater reliance on the car. Value of Placemaking in Development’. It found that early 18: Phases 3&4 Poundbury is an integrated rather than zoned development, spend on infrastructure, local amenities and public spaces creates better places and delivers higher returns, “which 19. Future Development of the with affordable housing (35%) and private housing sharing a enables the delivery of neighbourhoods communities want.” Northern Quadrants public realm with the many businesses. The success of Poundbury has now been recognised beyond 20. Aerial Map of Poundbury As Poundbury has developed, it has demonstrated that there is a genuine alternative to the way in which we build new Dorset and many of the founding principles have been 22. Sustainability communities in this country. incorporated back into national and local planning policy. Poundbury is also proving to be increasingly influential with 24: What people have said According to an independent survey conducted by Oxford an international audience, attracting interest and generating about Poundbury Brookes University in 2014, 86% of Poundbury residents were many organised tours every year from architects, town pleased to have moved to the development. planners, academics and developers across the globe. 2 3 HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES IN THE VERY FIRST SITE MEETING IN 1993 STRATHMORE HOUSE AND ROYAL PAVILION IN QUEEN MOTHER SQUARE HISTORY: THE MASTERPLAN POUNDBURY - ARCHITECTURE, In 1987 the local planning authority, West Dorset District Council, selected URBAN DESIGN & CRAFTSMANSHIP Duchy of Cornwall land to the west of Dorchester for future expansion of Poundbury is not just about architecture. It is very much to do with creating the town. As Duke of Cornwall, The Prince of Wales – who re-examined a sustainable community which achieves an attractive, modern and pleasing many of the precepts of urban and rural planning in his book ‘A Vision of place in which people can live, work, shop and play. Emphasis is placed on Britain’ – took the opportunity to work with the council to create a model the quality of place making through urban design and the choice of materials, urban extension to this ancient market town. landscaping, and attention to detail down to street furniture and signage. In 1988, The Prince of Wales appointed the well-known architect and The Prince of Wales believes that one of our country’s greatest strengths is urban planner, Leon Krier, to work on an overall concept for 400 acres of the regional variation of its towns and villages, built with locally distinctive ILLUSTRATED MAP OF THE POUNDBURY VISION land of what would become Poundbury. Krier’s challenge was to create an materials. The architecture at Poundbury fits this pattern, respecting local autonomous new extension to the town within the context of traditional styles, drawing on the rich heritage of Dorset, and in particular, the streets Dorset architecture, using the urban design principles described in ‘A Vision of Dorchester. of Britain’. The architects working at Poundbury, several of whom are based in Dorset, In 1989, the Poundbury Masterplan was exhibited in Dorchester at a adhere to the building code which promotes the use of shared space and Planning Weekend attended by The Prince of Wales. Local residents and regulates features such as roof angles and features. Quality of design and interested parties were invited to share their opinions and the feedback was workmanship is controlled by the Duchy through legally-binding Building reflected in the scheme designs before planning consent was sought. Agreements with each developer before the freehold is released. The resulting Masterplan divided Poundbury into four distinctive quarters Parking is generally provided in landscaped courtyards to the rear of – with construction work commencing on the first phase in October properties, which also incorporate housing including coach houses above 1993. Poundbury will be built out by circa 2025. It is expected that when LEON KRIER AND ANDREW HAMILTON WITH THE parking spaces and ancillary spaces for playrooms and workshops. Provision PRINCE OF WALES completed, Dorchester’s population will increase by about one quarter, with for these extra spaces recognises the increasing demands for flexible living approximately 5,000 people in Poundbury. arrangements and allows people to work from home. Larger commercial By April 2018, Poundbury had become home to over 3,000 people with buildings are generally sited for better vehicular access, but are designed 2,364 people working full-time and part-time in 187 businesses. Poundbury similarly to frame their sites and create a sense of enclosure. is approximately two thirds built and is planned to grow to around 2,500 Poundbury demonstrates that it is possible to build high-quality, traditional homes by 2025. housing at affordable prices, and provide new factories and offices on The Duchy of Cornwall continues to consult with the local community to competitive terms within the context of radically different urban design. ensure the community benefits from buildings and public amenities. The latest consultation events include new community facilities for The Great Field and plans for Jubilee Hall. SIMON CONIBEAR AT THE START OF CONSTRUCTION 4 5 POUNDBURY IS DESIGNED SO MOST OF YOUR DAILY NEEDS CAN BE MET ON FOOT POUNDBURY FEATURES 35% AFFORDABLE HOUSING INTERSPERSED ACROSS THE DEVELOPMENT SHARED SPACE - A WALKABLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMUNITY One of the more innovative ideas suggested by The Prince of Wales in In Poundbury, priority is given to people rather than cars to help create a ‘A Vision of Britain’ in 1989, was to build private and social housing sense of community and a feeling of safety. The principles of shared space alongside one another rather than continuing to build huge ghettoised in Poundbury’s streets and squares have inspired town planners all over housing estates. the world. In Poundbury, private and affordable housing are interspersed and The irregular design of streets constrain car speeds, and by minimising road indistinguishable from each other. As a result, the community is more signs, directions and road markings, shared spaces pass the responsibility cohesive. Current guidelines require 35% of housing in Poundbury to be back onto the motorist to think about how they interact with other road users. affordable and The Duchy continues to explore innovative ways in which the local housing need can be met. According to The Guinness Partnership – which provides much of the “At Poundbury the entire Masterplan was based upon placing the pedestrian, affordable housing – Poundbury is its most successful and trouble-free site and not the car, at the centre of the design.” with residents reporting a higher level of satisfaction than elsewhere. The The Prince of Wales partnership has used principles learnt in Poundbury across the UK. In 2015 the partnership completed its 250th home in Poundbury. MIXED USE Another innovative concept for new development was how Poundbury “Providing housing of this quality really can improve people’s lives and open integrates residential, retail and business uses with public amenities, so many up a lot of opportunities that would otherwise not be afforded to them.” people are able to live and work without the reliance on motor vehicles. The Guinness Partnership Most of your daily needs can therefore be met on foot, but there is nevertheless ample provision for car parking with very little restrictions.