celebrating-poundbury-magazine

THE VIEW FROM HEREChristina HammondNo 6 electric bus driverA regular 30-minute electric busservice connects Dorchester towncentre and Dorchester South stationto Poundbury. There are two number6 buses, operated by Damory, andthese are the first operational busespowered by sustainable electricityin the southwest of England. Theyboth charge every evening using theelectricity from the Anaerobic Digesterat Rainbarrow Farm.My view is from the frontof the number six bus. Ilove my job and the peopleI meet can be fantasticand so friendly. I know itsounds silly but we actuallyhave a really good time.Driving around Poundburyis interesting because I likeall the little shops and thedifferent housesECOPoundburyIt is all fair and well planning that a developmentof Poundbury’s scale should be as eco-friendly aspossible, but quite another thing makingthat happenTwenty-two years into theproject and a number ofinitiatives have paid off.The Anaerobic DigesterPlant at Rainbarrow farmnow uses bio- fuel byusing up food waste andmaize and in turn powering up to 56,000homes on the Dorset grid.Eleven eco-homes have been built ina joint venture between the Duchy ofCornwall and developer Zero C.One of the most visible initiatives isthe electric bus running daily betweenPoundbury and Dorchester.However, The Duchy of Cornwall andthe architects, developers and buildersare still coming up with ways to make thedevelopment more sustainable.New plans involve connecting cycle routes,electric car charging points and increasingthe usage of the electric bus.In 2015 a pay as you go car club will startin Poundbury.Co-cars the pay-as-you-drive carclub, offers its hybrid cars for hire tomembers by the hour, with pick-up andreturn to the specially-reserved parkingbays.Mark Hodgson, founder and managingdirector of Co-cars, says: "Co-carsmakes the whole process of car sharingexceptionally easy.“Members simply book a car by clickinga mobile phone, tablet or PC at home, thenswipe their membership card against thewindscreen to unlock the car – and finallythey “vroom’ drive off. It couldn’t be easier.”Individual and household membershipcosts just £25 per year, while businessmembership is free. Each hire will cost£3.80 per hour.5253