TEN years ago, on the eastern edge of Newquay, a cluster of new homes freshly wrought from Cornish slate, stone and granite heralded the start of a project that had already been 20 years in the planning.

Fast forward to today and Nansledan, which is Cornish for ‘broad valley’, is a thriving community of more than 2,000 souls and some 40 businesses, plus a primary school, nursery school, outdoor skate track, adventure playgrounds, playing fields and acres of green space.

And there’s much more to come. To date, almost 900 homes have been completed. Over the next 20 years that will grow to around 4,000 and create a community of some 8,800 people.

Inspired by the vision of HM King Charles III, the then Duke of Cornwall, Nansledan was always conceived as much more than a housing estate. The aim was to create, on Duchy-owned land, an exemplary and highly sustainable series of walkable neighbourhoods - a place that would support livelihoods, enhance biodiversity, and encourage greener living.

Construction began in 2014, and the first residents arrived the following year. Among them were Tim and Kaya Leadsford, who moved to Nansledan with their two-year-old son Finn from nearby St Columb Major in July 2015.

Back then there was little more than a show home and cluster of houses, but Tim had seen how the Duchy of Cornwall’s Poundbury development in Dorset had evolved into a striking extension to the town of Dorchester, so they took a leap of faith.

“I’d spent 20 years driving along the south coast and past Poundbury, watching it come out of the ground to become what it is now,” said Tim.

“It was intriguing to think they were doing something like that here. Because we knew Poundbury, and the green ethos behind the then Duke’s vision, we had faith. It felt like Nansledan was more than just a regular housing development – it had a lot of promise, and the community grew from that. It has gone up another level from those days, and everything they said they were going to deliver they did.”

Since moving to Nansledan the couple have welcomed daughter, Orla, now eight, and Finn is now 13. Kaya said: “It’s a really safe place to live. You get more than just a house here – you get a way of life and a community, a surrogate family and a support network. It’s just right for us.”

Crucial to Nansledan’s success has been the masterplan that governs each phase of the development. You can look at that plan and get a pretty good idea of what’s going to happen in the next 10 or 20 years. Not everything is set in stone, but the hierarchy of streets and relationship between neighbourhoods, green spaces and public amenities is pretty much established.

It has also allowed for the delivery of public infrastructure like the school, shops and offices early in the development – the primary school, Skol Nansledan, opened six years ago and has been essential in cementing the community.

For Sam Kirkness, Executive Director of Development for the Duchy of Cornwall, the masterplanning is central to Nansledan’s appeal: “The feedback we have from residents and businesses is that they welcome the certainty that comes from things being mapped out years in advance. They can see how Nansledan will evolve and understand exactly how the community will grow.

“Nansledan was never just about building houses. It’s about creating a sustainable, resilient community that enhances the environment and improves quality of life. We’re proud of how residents, local businesses and partners have embraced that vision over the past decade.”

Sustainability is at the heart of Nansledan, be it social, economic or environmental. The area was first earmarked for an urban extension to Newquay by the former Restormel Borough Council in 1991 as a means of addressing Newquay’s future housing, business, education and health needs in a sustainable way.

Thirty per cent of homes are affordable, allocated to local people, and holiday lets are not permitted – ensuring the settlement remains a living, year-round community. Some 70 per cent of the open market houses at Nansledan have been bought by people already living in Cornwall.

Wildflower meadows, orchards, ponds and ‘edible streets’ with herbs and fruit trees have created green corridors where wildlife flourishes alongside people. Bee bricks, integrated bird boxes and community allotments all contribute to a vibrant ecosystem.

Once complete, Nansledan is expected to deliver a 24 per cent uplift in habitat compared to what was there previously, and a 48 per cent increase in hedgerows – both far in excess of Government guidelines. It will have 3,265 new trees, 4,300 metres of newly planted hedgerows and 2,850 metres of new Cornish hedges. In total there will be the equivalent of 180 full sized football pitches of natural and open space for the community,

“Enhancing biodiversity has always been a cornerstone of Nansledan,” said Sam. “Our goal is to show how nature-positive development can be scaled and sustained – not as an add-on, but as part of the very fabric of a community and vital to health and wellbeing.”

In the same way the Duchy is pioneering new approaches to biodiversity, it is also blazing a trail with sustainable construction through the use of innovative, low-carbon and natural materials.

Much of Nansledan’s granite, stonework and slate is locally sourced, spreading the benefits of the development through the local economy. The recently opened main road that runs diagonally through Nansledan is carried across two bridges made from 1,000 tonnes of stone from De Lank Quarry in Bodmin.

Technology is also playing its part. Upcoming phases and commercial spaces across Nansledan are designed without fossil fuels and include ground-source and air-source heat pumps and roof-mounted solar panels.The Duchy of Cornwall is also building its first ever project to tackle homelessness at Nansledan, a subject very close to Prince William’s heart, who has taken over responsibility for the Duchy from his father as the 25th Duke of Cornwall.

The project is being delivered alongside Cornish charity St Petrocs and will provide 24 high quality homes with wrap-around support for local people experiencing homelessness.

It is piloting a range of low carbon building materials and techniques and the first phase will be completed next year. Construction is being funded by The Duke of Cornwall’s Charitable Foundation and is closely linked to Prince William’s Homewards initiative to end homelessness.

Work is also under way on Market Street, the commercial heart of Nansledan. It will include a new Tesco supermarket opening in May 2027, and a range of artisan independent shops, cafés, restaurants, offices, co-working space and a Market Hall showcasing local produce, opening in 2028.

The Duchy’s Sam Kirkness added: “Ten years on, Nansledan is showing how thoughtful development can build a community and strengthen place. But what’s most rewarding is seeing how the people who live and work here have made it their own.”