Pictures show King Charles' Scots eco-village is still a 'construction site' 15 years on
New snaps of King Charles' 'Scottish Poundbury' development have emerged with just a small fraction of the 770 planned homes, fifteen years after work began. The pioneering Knockroon eco-village, situated between the towns of Cumnock and Auchinleck in East Ayrshire, had been advertised as a showcase for the King's passion for heritage-led regeneration.
However after construction initially started in 2009, just a small number of the development had been completed at around 31 properties, with seemingly no more being built since 2016. One of Britain's leading architects once branded it as little more than a "construction site".
The Prince's Foundation, which pumped millions of pounds into the wider project, said in 2019 that the housing site will be "reviewed and evaluated".
The project was spearheaded by the then Prince Charles as part of his restoration plans for the nearby Dumfries House estate, with the aim of revitalising the local economy.
On December 7 2009, East Ayrshire Council granted preliminary planning permission for 770 homes. The Knockroon development was projected to span over 25 years, supported by The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment and designed with eco-friendly principles in mind.
However, in February 2019, The Scotsman reported that only 31 out of the planned 770 homes had been constructed - a figure that appears unchanged today.
In July 2022, The Sunday Times revealed that the project's value had been downgraded from £15 million to just £700,000.
A leading Scottish architect, Professor Alan Dunlop, once described the vision as an "imported pastiche" and a "curious mix" of relatively expensive homes dropped into a rural setting that should have never been built.
In July 2022, a spokesman for the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator said "we can confirm that the work of Havisham Group and property transactions relating to the Knockroon development in Ayrshire forms part of our overall investigation, work on which is ongoing."
Between 2012 and 2017, Havisham Properties purchased 11 properties for £1.7 million on the Knockroon development.
Speaking in 2019, Gordon Neil, deputy executive director of the Prince's Foundation, said: "The Prince's Foundation remains fully committed to realising its vision for Knockroon.
"A decade has passed since the creation of the masterplan for the site, and much has changed in that time in terms of the local and wider economy.
"As in all long-term construction projects, it is incumbent on us, the developers, to remain flexible and adaptable to changing conditions throughout the build, and we will conduct a review that allows us to ensure we create a development that meets the needs of the community."
He added: "During the first two years of the second phase of the development, we will look to make significant investment into the project.
"The project will use the local supply chain, demonstrating investment into the local community as well as minimising environmental impact through shorter transportation times of materials.
"In line with The Prince's Foundation's commitment to offering education and training opportunities where possible, modern apprenticeships will be offered across all trades on the development."
Here is what the 'Scottish Poundbury' development looks like now..
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