Poundbury resident's flower display must be gone by January, Duchy says
Alexandra Wilson-Jones wanted to add some colour to her courtyard
A woman from Poundbury has until January to remove her large display of plants, according to the Duchy of Cornwall.
Alexandra Wilson-Jones has got everything from saplings to trees outside the front of her garage in Poundbury.
But she was alarmed to receive a letter earlier this year from developers giving her five days to remove the display.
That's when she contacted the Duchy.
Alexandra told us:
"I asked to have a meeting with them and during that meeting I was told the volume of planting was considered too much and then in February there was a discussion about removing it.
"I was really quite concerned especially reading that everything would be removed and disposed of. There is a large collection here, a lot of the pieces were my mum's private collection from her home.
"Sentimentally this is a valuable collection."
The plants weren't removed but the conversation has continued and Alexandra's now been told she's got until the end of January 2023 to remove the plants.
Poundbury has strict rules in place set by Prince Charles himself that govern what can and can't be changed to property. Every home in the town must adhere to those specific design rules. Any deviations must first be agreed by the Duchy.
Alexandra did ask for retrospective permission from the Duchy but it was declined.
But she believes her display is in keeping with Prince Charles' vision for Poundbury and with his environmental priorities at large.
She said:
"I think this is, in this setting, this becomes community gardening that everyone can enjoy and I think if His Royal Highness were to find out about this I don't think he would be terribly impressed.
"I think he really would enjoy this and he would champion this because this isn't of any detriment to the community or to the whole of Poundbury it's tasteful and it's very beautifully done."
Greatest Hits Radio Dorset has asked the Duchy of Cornwall to comment, they have yet to reply.