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C E L E B R AT
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POUNDBURY ’ S
C E L E B R A T
YEARS
I N G pioneers
P O U N D B U R Y
Photos by Chris Vile
For a man who was adamant that Poundbury would not work , Simon Conibear has made a remarkable career ensuring it does
Known for his tweed and gentlemanly manner , Simon has led The Duchy of Cornwall ’ s ambitious masterplan for Poundbury for the past 22 years . This month he retired as Dorchester Estate Director and looking back on this hugely ambitious role , he says he feels very proud and privileged to have been part of it . “ After my first experience of hearing the plans for Poundbury , I thought that this vision couldn ’ t be achieved under any circumstances ," he says . “ I was working as a consultant and I found it inconceivable that it could be done , I thought the cost would exceed the sales prices . I was very wrong . The Prince of Wales wisely ignored my advice and I soon found I was at the sharp end attempting to deliver his vision ." Since taking over , Simon has weathered many storms , attended thousands of planning meetings and broken many barriers - both in local politics , planning and with the country ’ s perception of this radical project by The Prince of Wales . “ The Prince had appointed Andrew Hamilton as director of the project and Leon Krier as masterplanner . I needed a long induction process to understand the different way of building a place rather than a housing estate , streets rather than cul-de-sacs ,” he says . “ I was becoming familiar with The Prince of Wales ’ architecture and placemaking . That ’ s what we are doing here – it ’ s placemaking rather than housing estates .” Joining the project three years in after his predecessor Victor Jackson sadly passed away , Simon moved his family from Bath to the Dorset countryside and said they haven ’ t looked back . He says : “ I ’ ve been steeped in Poundbury now for 22 years . We have worked alongside such talent and witnessed this place grow from the first 60 homes to what it is today . I ’ m proud to have played a part in all of it .” One of the legacies of the first two decades of Poundbury is the
workshop spaces that make up many of the 185 businesses based here today . During his time directing Poundbury he has witnessed the growth of international players Dorset Cereals and House of Dorchester chocolates as well as many independent businesses still based here today .
“ One of the things I ’ m proudest of is the workshops . We built a modern development that has space for creative people who also need a retail element .” That success is something that Simon will be taking with him as a consultant working with UK developers for Architekton , a role in which he hopes he can impact with Poundbury ’ s learning curve and put in place its successes . He also plans to impart Poundbury ’ s experience for mixed use buildings and architectural quality . “ It goes hand in hand . I want other developers to see that things can be done differently . We have yet to see a scheme that has so much character as Poundbury ,” he explains . Simon describes fondly the visit by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth last year to see for herself this community borne of The Prince of Wales ’ extraordinary vision . “ The visit was certainly the highpoint of my career . It was the second time The Queen had been to Poundbury . The first time we didn ’ t have very much to show her so I ’ m sure she must have been surprised by how much it had grown .” Simon admits he was very touched by The Prince of Wales ’ speech on the day when he told the crowds that he owed so much to the ‘ devotion and ceaseless attention ’ to the Duchy of Cornwall team . “ It was all very overwhelming for many of us who have devoted lots of years and hard work to making Poundbury work ,” he says . Despite his retirement , this isn ’ t the last we ’ ve seen of Simon . Those of us used to seeing Simon cycle around on his bike will still spot him in Poundbury for the next year working two days a week as a consultant .
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