Poundbury is an urban extension to the town of Dorchester. It has been developed by The Prince to a masterplan by the international architect and planner Leon Kreir, and demonstrates The Prince’s beliefs on planning and architecture. It is an urban area closely modelled upon a traditional European town, with industry, different types of residential accommodation and good local services and facilities, all close to each other. Private traffic is carefully controlled. It is a good example of sustainable development with high-density housing, use of local materials, low car use and ‘eco housing’.
The Minister said: “I am delighted to visit Poundbury to see for myself the lessons which have been learned in this unique development. It is interesting to find out that the community here is so satisfied with the results and that the mix of industry and housing in one area has worked very well. In Northern Ireland we face many similar issues as we attempt to expand our cities and towns in a sustainable way and the results from Poundbury have direct relevance for us.”
The Minister was given a tour of the site by The Prince. She also met local residents and Trustees of The Prince’s organisations. The Minister was accompanied by officials from her department including Richard Rogers, Chief Executive of the Environment and Heritage Service.
Notes to Editors:
- Poundbury is the urban extension to Dorchester in Dorset and is famous internationally as a pioneering example of urban development. It seeks to implement the principles expounded in The Prince of Wales’s 1989 book ‘A Vision of Britain’. It is the result of The Prince’s belief in town-planning coupled with a long period of public consultation between 1988 and 1993.
- In 1988, The Prince appointed the architect and urban planner, Leon Krier, to prepare the overall development concept for 160 hectares, within the line of the Dorchester Bypass – comprising 100 hectares of mixed-use buildings and 60 hectares of landscaping. Krier is well known in Europe and America as a champion of traditional urban design. His challenge was to create a self-contained new extension to the town, in harmony with traditional Dorset architecture. His masterplan divides Poundbury into four distinctive quarters. For development purposes, each quarter corresponds to a Phase. Construction of Phase 1 of Poundbury commenced in October 1993 and was completed in 2002.
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