Poundbury named one of the Best Places to Live in the South West
The Sunday Times have people as the best place to live in Dorset
Poundbury in Dorset has been named one of the best places to live in the South West by the Sunday Times.
The guide for 2023 features more new entries than ever before, including Poundbury, an urban extension to Dorchester.
Expert judges visited the town and assessed factors like transport, culture, health of the high street and access to green spaces.
We’ve been speaking to residents of Poundbury who agreed with the decision, one said: “I can think of a lot lot lot worse places to be than Poundbury.
“There's a nice mix of everything here and they've tried to mix it up for all sorts of people and social classes.”
Another resident added: “It's spacious, people are very welcoming, it’s nicely designed and obviously it's got a great patron.”
Poundbury is built on the principles of architecture and urban planning advocated by the now King Charles III.
When construction of the town began in 1993, King Charles believed Poundbury would represent “a vision of Britain,” but as alluded to by The Sunday Times, the town was “mocked” on launch.
One resident said: “It's a Marmite sort of place, people either love it or hate it. I'm an admirer and I think King Charles has done a great job.”
A second person added: “It’s just easy for everything, it's really clean, friendly and the fact you can come here and easily part and go shopping is a real bonus for the community.”
But a third resident disagreed, she said: “Oh it’s charming, but it looks a bit like a Disney village. Where are all the people, where are all the shops! If it wasn’t for Waitrose, I don’t know why I’d bother coming.”
With a population of just under 4,000 people, Poundbury is certainly a quiet town but its rich with character, tradition and “incredible architecture.”
Poundbury has a “walkable layout,” the report said. “It gives priority to people rather than cars.”
One man even said it was his favourite thing to do: “It's a short walk to everything and it's interesting, you’ll go around a corner and find something new. So, yeah there's different walk every day, no two routes are the same.”
Yet it was the town’s affordability that was noted as a positive by the experts from The Sunday Times. A recent study found that 35% of the housing under construction in Poundbury is “affordable” for rental or shared ownership by local people.