Not everyone wants to live in apartments and instead, they may want their own house and garden. On this basis we feel that Poundbury is certainly worth a visit as a mixed-use walkable and well-connected development on a large greenfield site abutting Dorchester in Dorset.
Its success is not down to just one thing but getting several elements right:
- A truly mixed walkable development of eventually 5000 homes (by 2025) with offices, shops, cafes, pubs, restaurant, supermarket, community centre, school and even a garden centre, all based around streets in town, not on the bypass or off a ring road.
- Lots of trees and green areas; different architectural styles and vistas make walking interesting.
- Much reduced need for parking compared to a ‘conventional’ housing estate
- A range of outdoor leisure facilities and parkland.
- Well connected by streets with existing suburbs of Dorchester. Walk into town, or you can take the bus. Dorchester still has many shops, a museum, hospital and more.
- Connected by bus also to Weymouth and other local towns. The bus goes through Poundbury.
- Get a bus to the station. There are two stations in Dorchester with different destinations.
- 35% affordable housing, mixed in and looking identical to market housing.
Poundbury is an exceptional case of a varied and interesting walking environment well supplied with local shops and businesses and a range of amenities.
