The gorgeous new UK town that looks frozen in the past - with 2,700 houses being built

This new development feels frozen in time, its architecture thoughtfully crafted using traditional materials that reflect the history and local design of the region. The homes are built with character, embracing a classical, traditional style that gives the impression that the town has been there for many years. Poundbury is an urban extension to the county town of Dorchester in Dorset, built on land belonging to the Duchy of Cornwall.

It follows the vision laid out in A Vision of Britain, the book by the then Prince Charles, now King Charles III. Construction began in 1993 and by its completion in 2028, it is expected to grow to a town of more than 2,700 homes.

King Charles said back in 2022: "When I set out on this venture, I was determined that Poundbury would break the mould of conventional housing development in this country, and create an attractive place for people to live, work and play. Many people said that it could never succeed but I am happy to say that the sceptics were wrong and it is now a thriving urban settlement alongside Dorchester."

The town currently houses about 5,000 people in a mix of private and affordable housing and has more than 260 shops, cafes, offices and factories.

Now that the locations of the 12 new towns have been selected by the Government's New Towns Taskforce, many believe Poundbury should serve as a model to emulate, despite previous criticism with many calling it a 'ghost town' or an artificial, idealised version of a traditional town.

In a speech to the King's Foundation at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire at the end of September, Biljana Savic, head of placemaking at the ministry and former employee of King Charles' built environment charities, highlighted the shared principles between the Government and the monarch in their vision for designing new towns.

She said: "We always look to Poundbury as a really good example."

One visitor wrote about the town on TripAdvisor: "What a delightful large new town. No litter, no graffiti, no anti social behaviour, no abandoned cars,no groups of moped youth terrorising the neighbourhood, no grotty and uncared for houses,etc, etc.

"Great mixture of building styles and I would challenge any detractors to name any large urban high density development that looks so great and is so pleasant to live in and visit. Lovely mix of shops and businesses."

Someone else wrote about Poundbury: "It's just a really nice place to walk around. If only all new developments were like this! Lots of local shops dotted about, some nice places to eat and the Waitrose is so much better than the one in Dorchester!"

Joe from Portsmouth added: "I treated myself to a couple of days staying here, at the Dutchess of Cornwall, just to experience the place. Poundbury is appealing on so many levels. It is easily the most visually attactive large-scale urban development in the UK in the last 100 years. It is also probably the most successful"