Poundbury

About

Poundbury is a high density urban extension to Dorchester, designed by Prince Charles, consisting of town houses, cottages, shops and light industry. The village, which is built on Duchy land, has followed a high-density urban pattern, focussing on integrating housing, shops and workplaces, rather than splitting them into zones. This is an innovative design, challenging post war trends by combining Traditional Architecture and Modern Town Planning. Following New Urbanist principles, Poundbury’s intention is to reduce car dependency and encourage walking, cycling and public transport and has been designed specifically to discourage the use of cars. Poundbury is expected to be fully completed by 2025 when it will add approximately 5,000 to the population of Dorchester with 2,000 jobs in the factories, offices and general facilities across the site. Poundbury is already home to the nationally recognised Dorset Cereals which employs over 100 staff.

In contrast, close by to the new development is Poundbury Hill Fort, which dates back to the Middle Bronze Age. The hill fort's outer defences were damaged by the construction of a 12 mile long Roman aqueduct, which supplied 13 million gallons of fresh water daily to the major town of Durnovaria (Dorchester) from Notton. The western and southern sides of the hill fort were adapted during the Second World War to provide defence against tanks.