King Charles receives criticism over key project after William's remarks

King Charles III has come under fire as a TV presenter criticised the monarch's project after Prince William lauded his dad's leadership during his keynote address in Wales.

Kevin McCloud, who hosts The Grand Designs, went on to blast the King's Poundbury development, describing the interiors of homes in the Dorset estate as "intolerable as an environment to put people in".

Giving a shocking assessment of the project, the TV presenter tried to reveal a fundamental disconnect between Poundbury's exterior appearance and interior reality.

The show host made these comments at the V&A Museum last week, marking the 50th anniversary of SAVE Britain's Heritage.

The 66-year-old did hold back expressing his disapproval of the development's approach to traditional design.

He even argued that the homes fail to capture authentic historical character once residents step inside despite the estate's carefully crafted exteriors. 

During his lecture titled "Reinventing Buildings: A Manifesto for the Imagination", McCloud recounted a visit to what appeared to be an attractive thatched cottage in Poundbury.

He discovered that the residents were prohibited from adding a conservatory or sunroom due to strict design regulations governing the development.

The presenter contrasted this with authentic 17th-century cottages, which typically feature stone floors, exposed beams, large hearths and uneven ceilings.

Instead, he found the Poundbury property "was just horrible because it was like walking into a modern developer home, only the ceilings you banged your head on."

What is Poundbury?

The project is an experimental urban extension of Dorchester. It was built on Duchy of Cornwall land and conceived by Charles to highlight his principles of traditional architecture and urban planning.

The construction of the project started in 1993 and is expected to be completed around 2027.

It is based on the principles outlined in the monarch's 1989 book, A Vision of Britain, and was master-planned by architect Léon Krier.

The restrictive planning conditions prevent homeowners from making modifications that might compromise the estate's carefully controlled aesthetic appearance.

A ccording to the exper, "They're dead because they're built of breeze block."

Poundbury allegedly contains some impressive high-status properties that visitors are typically shown, many standard homes lack the character one would expect from their traditional exteriors, claimed McCloud.

Meanwhile, the monarch described Poundbury as a flourishing community adjacent to Dorchester, proving teh critics wrong.

McCloud also paid respect to the monarch, stating: "I have every respect for his Majesty's tastes and views being the King."