Residents in King Charles’ model town hit out at ‘arrogant’ Duchy of Cornwall for planting trees that is spoiling their ‘uninterrupted countryside views’

Locals living in King Charles’ model town have accused the Duchy of Cornwall of being ‘arrogant’ over cherry trees.

Homeowners on the border with Poundbury in Dorset paid top dollar for ‘uninterrupted rural views’ of Thomas Hardy’s Wessex.

But they were left ‘furious’ when they discovered the Duchy and its developers had plans to install a ‘curtain’ of trees that would obscure their views and block out the light from their homes.

Residents claim the Duchy has added further insult by making a retrospective planning exercise to change tree species after they have been planted.

The controversial new bird cherry trees planted on one side of the road can grow up to 26 meters tall and 26 meters wide.

Locals also claimed that the Duchy ignored every attempt at communication and continued to have their way, to the detriment of the people living there.

Ian Hacker, who claimed a tree was planted too close to his home, said he made many requests to the Duchy’s office for landscaping details but was ‘repeatedly ignored’.

He said: ‘The tree in front of our house was not placed in the position shown in the plan and marked with a red circle.

‘The tree is only 15 feet from our property, thus voiding our insurance.

From left to right: Residents, Christina and Donald Brett, Julie Burt, Josephine and Andrew Cook, and Paul Baker

Aerial view of Poundbury, King Charles’ model town

‘We object to the current location of the tree to the south of the road in front of our property.

‘This is not where the original plan showed. We were not told any details about the revised planning. ‘We would like the tree to be moved more than 5 meters from our property.’

Andrew Cook, a retired business consultant, also objected, claiming the plans were flawed in their placements.

He said: ‘As a result, residents do not know whether the Peninsula Road remains unacceptable to the Highways Agency.

‘If so, this would ultimately mean residents could be penalized for increased administration fees when they are already paying for road and boundary maintenance, indemnity insurance and claims.’

Mr Cook argued that the bird cherry trees should be removed and replaced with silver birches so that there are the same trees on both sides of the road.

He added: ‘The Duchy and its developers made a retrospective application to the day they planted the trees. This shows the sheer arrogance of the Duchy.

‘They did not communicate with us, were completely uncompromising and ignored us.

‘The tree planting mandates talked about a screen but they didn’t put up a screen, there are quite large gaps between the trees now but we’re worried they’ll come back and plant a lot more trees in those gaps.

King Charles seen meeting residents during visit to Poundbury

Image: Controversial trees already planted in Poundbury

‘And we’re left in limbo because we’re not sure if it’s going to stay that way.

‘This is so frustrating, the Duchy is so difficult, there is no common sense. I had never worked with someone like the Duchy before and I was a business consultant.

‘They say they are consulting with citizens and talking to the community but I think that is an economic approach at best.

‘If they want to do something they just go ahead with no communication and act like they don’t have to do anything they don’t want to do.’

Poundbury is King Charles’ vision of a utopian paradise where private, affordable housing combines with boutique shops, businesses and walkable services such as the local school and medical centre.

Construction work began on the Duchy of Cornwall land near Dorchester in 1993 and is expected to be completed in 2028.

Now that he was king, the Duchy of Cornwall, the royal family’s private fund, passed to Prince William, but Poundbury was very much the king’s project.

Picturesque views from houses in Poundbury, where residents blew up the Duchy of Cornwall

Paul Baker, who works in financial services, said three large trees were clustered right outside his house, two of which had been moved from their original location.

He said: ‘This zoning application causes serious damage to my property. There seems to be no reason for the developer or the Duchy to move these two trees.

‘I have spoken to Dorset Highways and they have confirmed that these two trees do not need to be moved from their original planting plan locations.

‘These three trees clustered together in the new planting scheme seem far beyond all measure of reason, considering that the house is a small, semi-detached house with one-way windows that will be completely blocked by these trees.

‘Also, over time the property will be completely hidden from top to bottom by three trees.’

A Duchy spokesman said: ‘Following approval and as part of ongoing work with Dorset Council’s Highways department, a minor retrospective amendment to the planning consent has been submitted and the trees have been installed within the 2024/2025 planting season.

‘The bird cherry trees were selected to suit the location to meet Highways department requirements and the hardiness of the species.’

They said they had responded to residents’ most recent communications.