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 blasted The Duchy of Cornwall as ‘arrogant’ in a row over cherry trees.

Homeowners on the edge of Poundbury in Dorset, paid a premium for their ‘uninterrupted countryside views’ of Thomas Hardy’s Wessex.

However, they were left ‘furious’ when they discovered the Duchy and their developers had plans to put in a ‘curtain’ of trees that would obscure their vistas and block out the light from their homes.

Residents claim the Duchy has added further insult by putting in a retrospective planning application to change the species of tree after they were already planted.

The new controversial bird cherry trees, planted on one side of the road, can grow up to 82ft tall and 26ft wide.

Locals have also claimed the Duchy ignores any attempts at communication and just ploughs on with what they want at the expense of the people living there.

Ian Hacker, who claims a tree has been planted too close to his home, said he has made multiple requests for the landscaping details from the Duchy office but has been ‘repeatedly ignored’.

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

‘The tree is also only just 4.2metre from our property thus invalidates our insurance.

We oppose the current position of the tree on the south of road in front of our property.

‘It is not where the original plan indicates. We have not been told any details of revised planning. We would like the tree moved so that it is greater than 5metre from our property.’

Andrew Cook, a retired business advisor, has also objected, claiming the plans are inaccurate with what has been planted.

He said: ‘As a result, residents do not know if Peninsula Way continues to be unadoptable by Highways.

‘If so, this means ultimately residents may be penalised through increased management fees whilst already paying rates for road and verge maintenance, indemnity insurance, and compensation claims.’

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

He added: ‘The Duchy and their developers put in a retrospective application on the day they planted the trees. It demonstrates the sheer arrogance of the Duchy.

‘They didn’t communicate with us, they were just completely intransigent and ignoring us.

‘Their tree planting imperative talked about a curtain of trees but they didn’t plant a curtain, at the moment there are quite big gaps between the trees, but we are worried they could come back and plant a lot more trees in the gaps.

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

‘It’s so frustrating, the Duchy are so difficult, there is no common sense. I’ve never dealt with anybody like the Duchy before and I was a business advisor.

‘They say they consult with residents and talk to the community but at best I think that’s being economical with the truth.

‘If they want to do something they just carry on without any communication and they act like they don’t have to do anything they don’t want to do.’

Poundbury is King Charles’ vision of an utopian idyll where private and affordable housing mix with boutique shops, places of work and services like the local school and medical centre within walking distance.

Building work began on the Duchy of Cornwall land near Dorchester in 1993 and it is due for completion in 2028.

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

He said: ‘This planning application is seriously detrimental to my property. There appears to be no reason for the developer or the Duchy to move these two trees.

‘I have checked with Dorset Highways, and they have confirmed that there is no reason these two trees needed to be moved from the original planting plan positions.

‘These three trees clustered together on the new planting plan seem well beyond any measure of reasonability when considering the house is a small semi-detached house with single aspect windows which will be entirely blocked by these trees.

‘Plus, in time the property will be totally concealed top to bottom by the three trees.’

A spokesperson for the Duchy said: ‘Following approval and as part of ongoing work with the Dorset Council Highways department, a retrospective minor amendment to the planning consent was submitted and the trees were established within the 2024/2025 planting season.

‘The bird cherry trees were selected as appropriate for the location to meet Highway department requirements and species resilience.’

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