Living as close to Dorchester as we now do, some 8 miles away, we have frequently driven past or through this hideous housing estate, called Poundbury.
Now driving in from the East it look like a part built film set, with lots of out of character houses, whilst approaching from the West, on the A35 it appears on the horizon, looking like a prison complex.
The weirdest thing though is driving through it, it's spooky, there's nobody about, perhaps that's why Tina refers to it as the Stepford Wives film set. The perfect estate, with the perfect shops and the perfect roads, and the perfect invisible people? If you want to move to a place with no soul and no community, I think that I may be able to help.
The houses appear like cardboard cutouts, and few of them use any of the traditional brick and flint construction as used locally. Its almost like a self build estate, where everyone has bought a plot and has free reign to build what they like with no planning regulations.
As for the Landscaping in this new green paradise you think to yourself as a planty sort of person, where are the Trees, the open green spaces, this estate after all was the play thing of Charles, the "green one". Don't know if it is true, but we heard that after the houses were built and the roads laid, someone then remembered the Trees, so the road had to be dug up again to plant them. Well anyway, it looks like that driving through it!
The worrying thing is, this monstrous carbuncle in Dorset is still growing, where will it end?
Damn it, that's the knighthood for services to Horticulture out the window.
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john pugh grass roots said:
john pugh grass roots said:
Michael agreed it was "prison like" Pro Gard said it was "monstrous site" and Sarah added that it had no people.
How with our tight planning laws, this idiot scheme was ever permitted beats me, but this half-wit individual takes the prize for poor planning. As most say, money and power can buy anything I guess.
John, if you switch to defrost on your microwave, you should get Sky if you turn it to face the the window, and use a link it to a dinner plate on your outside wall, you should have it. Keep us posted please.
and Phil, it is 999,999th on the wish list, after de-fleaing the dogs. Mind you, Sir Jeffries of Dorchester has a certain ring about it, after all we did have Judge Jeffries of Dorchester, and I am much fairer than he ever was!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwyNy41PU6c
The architect of the village - Leon Krier - is a member of the New Urbanist movement, promoting and designing walkable communities where the car isn't necessarily king.
Whether he has been successful with Poundbury is debatable:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poundbury
It's okay for a promotional video to promote the souless society it's fine, but having actually driven around it ourselves, warts and all, at least 10 times in the last 3 months, I could show you a different view.
I saw at least 10 people on the video, more than than I have ever seen actually driving through it myself at various times of the day, perhaps they were paid to be there?
Car-less society, well apart from the tour dodging cars parked on the road and pavement, and driving around, I guess so. To give you an idea of the locality the nearest big supermarket is around 2 miles away, which I would bet most of them use, and drive to.
As for the Landscaping, basically, it's crap, see it for yourself, my dogs could have done better, and they are not Horticulturally trained, yet!!! By the way, in some of the green spaces in the video, the diggers are in and building has started.
Tim Haywood said:
http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3799&page=1
Compared with some of the council and social housing estates that have been built round here it could have been a lot worse.
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