by Trevor Bevins, Local Democracy Reporter.
Almost sixty homes could be added to the Poundbury Duchy estate, Dorchester, if new proposals are approved.
The homes and public open space are likely to be one of the last areas of the development to be completed.
Building at Poundbury has been continuous since the early 1990s adding around 5,000 residents to the Dorchester area and more than 200 businesses.
Initial proposals for the development, under master planner Leon Krier, were first mooted in 1987 with many visits by King Charles over the years as the scheme gained approval and building work started – although the new head of the Duchy, Prince William, has yet to make a public visit.
Once completed an estimated 2,750 homes are likely to be on the development – which is notable for the control the Duchy retains over overal design strategy and even minor individual features including an insistence on no UPVC windows and doors and a lack of tv aerials.
The latest proposals are for Crown Point phases 3 and 4 where 57 new homes are being planned by Places for People on a 1.5 hectare area of land which will include parking for 123 vehicles.
The site is adjacent to the Poundbury cemetery and only a short distance from the Great Field with the road from Dorchester to Bradford Peverell running along the north eastern edge.
As with other areas of Poundbury the proposals include a mix of social and market housing – 37 market properties of three and four-bed (8); 9 one-bed social homes and 11 two-bed social homes classed as ‘social, affordable or intermediate rent.’
Early comments on the application has Poundbury residents lobbying for the proposed open space to be converted into allotments – a view backed by some Dorchester town councillors.
Said one resident in a comment to Dorset Council which will decide the application: “The 786 square metres of the small park is enough to accommodate about 16 standard sized allotment plots, or twice that number if the plot size were smaller, 6m X 2m. Half of the total available space would be used for paths, compost bins, and one communal shed. The entire site could be screened from view by hedges, as at Poundbury’s Cranford Plots.”
The full details of the proposals can be found on the Dorset Council website, which also offers the chance to comment, using the reference P/FUL/2026/01263.
