WITH the construction of Poundbury now around the halfway stage, Dorset builders CG Fry & Son have sold their 500th house at the landmark development.

And the buyers have not had to move very far – because it is their third Poundbury home.

Leslie and Nicola Wales moved to Poundbury seven years ago. But it was not long before a house being built nearby took their fancy and they were on the move once more.

Now they have moved yet again, to another Poundbury house built by Frys in Lower Blakemere Road.

Nicola Wales said: “I just can’t resist the temptation of a brand new house.

“You can start with a blank canvas and create a whole new home.”

Leslie said: “Poundbury suits us down to the ground. Before, we were living in Osmington and working in Dorchester, and doing the drive every day started to seem a bit daft.

“Here the countryside is still on the doorstep but everything is much handier, and I can walk to work when I want to.

“The facilities here are increasing all the time, so you can find almost everything you need without going far. It’s a sociable place and it does have a real community spirit.

“The place is still evolving, and that’s really interesting. Every now and then when you are out for a walk around, you turn a corner and think: ‘Wow, look at that.’”

Builders CG Fry & Son, based at Litton Cheney, have been centrally involved at Poundbury since building started in 1993.

Frys presented Leslie and Nicola Wales with a framed drawing of their new home by Paul Docksey, who produces illustrations for the company’s brochures.

Sales and marketing manager Ruth Guilor said: “We have had a number of people now who have had one house on Poundbury and then moved to another one – but I am not sure we have had anyone else yet who has bought three houses one after the other.

“Poundbury has been popular almost right from the start, and it has stayed that way all through the ups and downs of the property market.

“Building five hundred houses here is certainly something to celebrate for us. The development has been a fantastic showcase for CG Fry & Son. It has literally shown the world what we can do.”

Simon Conibear, development manager for the Duchy of Cornwall, said: “Poundbury is a project which has attracted a huge amount of attention to Dorchester and Dorset, and it is good to have local firms such as CG Fry & Son playing a key part.”

Half way to Prince's paradise

Poundbury was conceived in the 1980s as an urban extension to Dorchester, and planned by architect Leon Krier, embracing the design philosophies of Prince Charles.

Construction started in 1993, on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall. It is now home to around 2,000 people as well as around 100 businesses. More than 1,400 people work at the businesses in Poundbury, and the number is growing fast – up by 250 in the last 12 months.

Work on new homes and commercial property is currently under way in the South West quadrant of the development. Also taking shape is Queen Mother Square, which will lie at the heart of the completed development and will include a Waitrose store and a local producers’ market. The west side of the square, currently under construction, is expected to be completed by March 2012.

Poundbury is still only around half complete – when finished in 2025 there will be around 4,500 residents.

“Construction is going ahead at a steady pace,” said development manager for the Duchy of Cornwall Simon Conibear.