Why Three New Buildings in Poundbury Matter to Dorset's Future

By Zoe Bell

On a warm September afternoon, members of the Poundbury community gathered to celebrate three people who believed in something unconventional thirty years ago: Sir David Landale, David Oliver, and Eddy Fry.

His Majesty The King sent a gracious letter thanking those who had worked tirelessly to make his vision of Poundbury a reality.

Glasses were clinked, stories were shared, and three new buildings were formally named after these three extraordinary people.

The buildings stand on the north side of Great Cranford Street, in Poundbury's final quadrant currently under construction—a fitting location for names that will remind future residents of the vision and dedication that created this community.

It was a lovely event. And the timing resonates with exciting developments across Dorset.

The Numbers Tell a Story

Poundbury now has some 5,000 residents, 260 businesses, and 2,700 jobs: more than one job per home built. This isn't a housing estate where everyone commutes elsewhere, it's a functioning community where people live, work, shop, and gather. Children cycle to school. Neighbours chat in Queen Mother Square. Small businesses thrive.

When Poundbury began, this approach was unconventional. 'Too expensive,' some said, 'Won't work... Anachronistic!'

Three decades later, the results speak for themselves. And the lessons learned matter more than ever as Dorset embraces significant change.

Dorset's Growth Opportunity

Dorset Council recently published Energising Dorset, its economic growth strategy identifying £28 billion in potential investment through the Clean Energy Super Cluster. This means offshore wind farms, hydrogen storage in salt caverns, nuclear small modular reactors, and carbon capture technology, creating 2,000+ highly-skilled jobs by 2035 in the Dorchester-adjacent area.

These engineers, project managers, technicians, and advanced manufacturing specialists will need somewhere to live. They'll have families, partners who need careers, children who need schools. They'll seek communities worth living in, not just houses.

This is where Poundbury's experience becomes valuable—demonstrating what's possible when development is approached thoughtfully.

Credit: Dorset Council

Learning from Experience

The Dorset Local Plan addresses housing needs with several proposals, including a North Dorchester Garden Community of approximately 3,500 new homes. People need attractive places to live, and the Local Plan makes recommendations about sustainable development principles. However, translating principles into reality requires careful attention to the elements that make communities thrive rather than simply adding housing units.

Poundbury's experience over thirty years suggests several elements contribute to successful place-making:

Integrated employment alongside housing creates local opportunity and reduces car dependency. Poundbury's ratio of more than one job per home demonstrates this integration can work.

Quality design standards maintained over time ensure developments age well and retain value. Poundbury's architecture proves that traditional approaches can create lasting appeal.

Mixed-use development supporting small businesses provides entrepreneurship opportunities and local services. The 260 businesses here show this diversity strengthens communities.

Safe, walkable environments where children can cycle and neighbors naturally interact create the daily connections that define community rather than just housing.

Long-term commitment and patience allow places to develop organically. Thirty years of dedicated stewardship proves lasting quality requires sustained attention.

These elements don't happen automatically—they require intentional choices maintained over time.

The Three Dedicated Buildings Represent Sustainability

Sir David Landale brought long-term vision and willingness to try something unconventional.

David Oliver provided planning facilitation that made innovation possible.

Eddy Fry delivered quality craftsmanship that made it last.

As Philip Fry said accepting the honour for his late father: 'He was passionate about creating quality homes and leaving a strong legacy for generations to come.'

That persistence, that commitment to quality over speed, that willingness to stay the course—those choices created what we enjoy today.

Embracing Change Thoughtfully

For those of us living in Poundbury, the dedication of these three buildings reminds us we're part of something that demonstrates an alternative approach can succeed.

The children cycling safely, neighbours chatting naturally, businesses thriving, and genuine community sharing streets—this has emerged from intentional choices maintained over time.

Credit: P Read

As Dorset grows through the Clean Energy Super Cluster and new housing development, there's opportunity to build on these lessons. Change is coming—the question is how thoughtfully we approach it.

The elements that made Poundbury successful weren't magic, they were choices:

• Prioritising integrated employment, not just housing numbers

• Maintaining design standards despite pressures to compromise

• Creating environments that encourage walking and cycling

• Supporting small business alongside residential development

• Committing to quality for decades, not just years

  
  

Whether these principles inform how new developments proceed depends on the mechanisms put in place to maintain standards and integrate communities properly—not just initial aspirations, but sustained commitment over decades.

What This Means for Us

The growth corridor represents an exciting opportunity for Dorset clean energy innovation, quality employment, and the genuine need for housing to support this growth. Poundbury's experience shows what becomes possible when vision, partnership, and persistence align around creating places where people genuinely want to build lives.

As we celebrate Sir David Landale, David Oliver, and Eddy Fry, we're recognising that great places emerge from people willing to believe in something different and dedicate themselves to making it real—not for three years, but for thirty.

Dorset is changing. The Clean Energy Super Cluster will transform our economy. New communities will house thousands of families. People need attractive places to live, and achieving this requires the same thoughtfulness and sustained commitment that created the community we enjoy in Poundbury.

The three building names on Great Cranford Street in Poundbury's final quadrant stand as a reminder: vision, partnership, and persistence create places that last. As Dorset changes and develops, these lessons remain as relevant as ever. Change, approached thoughtfully and managed well, creates opportunity for everyone.