Prince Charles launches crackdown on homeowners in designer village rules

Prince Charles’ private estate has launched a crackdown on homeowners making unauthorised alterations to their properties in his designer village.

Officials from the Duchy of Cornwall, in Poundbury, Dorset, have been checking that changes previously agreed by the office are not getting out of hand.

They are inspecting homes armed with clipboards and cameras to establish the works are in harmony with Prince Charles’ original designs for Poundbury.

A letter sent to residents reveals the audit will be carried out by a commercial building surveyor over the coming weeks.

However, the possible sanctions for those properties which have carried out unauthorised works was not disclosed.

It reads: ‘For some time now the Duchy have been aware of unauthorised works undertaken on Poundbury which other residents on Poundbury naturally assume, because of the stipulations, has received Duchy approval.

‘As the extent of this unauthorised work grows the Duchy find it harder to control those works that they are asked to approve as the people asking for the approval then make reference to unauthorised works of the same or similar to what they are proposing.’

Prince Charles created Poundbury as a utopian idyll where private and affordable housing mixes with boutique shops, places of work and services like the local school and medical centre, all within walking distance.

Using a design created by master planner Leon Krier, the Duchy of Cornwall began construction on Poundbury in 1993.

It is due for completion in 2025 when it will have a population of around 5,000 people in 2,500 homes.

Residents must sign an agreement when buying a property on the development, stating that they will not make alterations without the Duchy’s permission.

On its website the Duchy says: ‘The architecture of Poundbury is unashamedly traditional and reflects the local style, but it is not a village; it is an urban extension to Dorchester.’

A Duchy of Cornwall spokesperson said a survey was being carried out to identify changes made over the area’s 25-year history in a bid to maintain its architectural ‘ethos’ in future planning.