REVISED plans have been submitted for the proposed centrepiece of Prince Charles’s Pound-bury development.

The latest proposals for Queen Mother Square – commemorating the Prince’s late grandmother – sees the amount of accommodation reduced in favour of more commercial space.

The original application submitted for the square, which will be situated near the Poundbury Garden Centre, included plans for 72 homes but the Duchy of Cornwall has now reduced that number to 28.

Duchy site manager Peter James said the move was in response to changes in the housing market since the planning process for the square began around two years ago and was the only significant change to the plans.

He said: “It is just a change of use from the flats in building five, which have been changed to commercial use.

“It’s still going to look the same.”

The square will feature a sculpture of the Queen Mother and underground parking will ensure it remains a car-free zone.

The remaining 28 flats will still be a mix of rented and shared equity affordable housing as originally planned.

In a statement submitted with the planning application, architect Quinlan Terry says: “Queen Mother Square is intended to be the central and most important square at the heart of the proposals for Poundbury.”

Mr James said he was confident, especially with the track record of commercial properties at Poundbury, that there would be plenty of demand for the commercial units.

He said: “We have got most of the commercial spaces here taken up at the moment and there are not many large modern commercial units in the whole of Dorset which have car parking close by.”

Mr James said the Duchy was keen to see the latest proposals approved by planners and move forward with the scheme.

He said: “It will be the heart of Poundbury and that is why we have been pushing at it for quite a while and looking at various elements.

“We think we have got a position now where we would like to move forward.

“We would like to get on with it as soon as we can.”