The creator of Downton Abbey has slammed the Duchy of Cornwall after planning approval was granted for 100 houses near a historic home. Lord Fellowes said Dorset Council had “no appreciation for history” and questioned whether developers had a “conscience” over the plans, which are near the home of Victorian novelist, Thomas Hardy.
The West Stafford resident urged the Duchy of Cornwall, Prince William’s private estate, to spare the “sacred” land at Stinsford on the outskirts of Dorchester. Lord Fellowes said: “The people who have approved this clearly have no appreciation for the history of the county and the importance of Thomas Hardy to the area. I don’t really see how the developers and the council, grown men and women, can do that with a conscience.”
Fellowes added: “I understand that they have to do something about the shortage of housing but there are so many other places that they could build that would not interfere with such historic sites.
“It will be much more difficult for future generations to truly understand Hardy’s life and works.”
As president of the Thomas Hardy Society, he said the development would make it difficult for fans to understand Hardy’s inspiration for his works, including Tess of the d’Urbervilles and The Mayor of Casterbridge.
Hardy had Max Gate built in Stinsford in 1885 and it is now a Grade I listed building. The society said it would challenge the decision.
Mark Chutter, the chair of the Thomas Hardy Society, said: “I think the Duchy of Cornwall should think again and should consider the importance of Hardy to the surrounding land. The development needs to be stopped so the land can be protected.
“We have already got Poundbury, which is Duchy of Cornwall land. That is a huge development which they are still building and now they want to do this so close to Max Gate. It worries me that the Duchy of Cornwall seems to be taking over west Dorset.”
Neil Matthews, the chair of the Dorset branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said he hoped the Prince of Wales would be “sympathetic towards the history” and pointed to current capacity issues in the area, saying the roads were “rammed”.
He added: “There is always the danger that this could be a slippery slope and more and more greenfield land becomes built on. We hope that the developers will be sympathetic towards Max Gate and the ancient henge in the area and not disrespect the historic land.”
Prince William inherited the private Duchy of Cornwall estate when his father became King in 2022, which includes 130,000 acres of land, properties and investments. William manages the duchy’s assets which raised £23.6 million for him in 2023.
In its planning application, the duchy said: “This change would not materially affect the experience of the house from the surrounding area, nor the experience within its grounds.
“On this basis, it is concluded that the proposed development would not result in any harm to the significance of the house.”
It said the scheme would provide “high-quality homes, including affordable housing, whilst complementing the unique historic identity of the area”.