IT was regarded as one of the most exciting property developments in Scotland, with interest in it heightened due to its royal seal of approval.

The pioneering eco-village, Knockroon, was the dream of Prince Charles’s flagship charitable foundation and touted as a “model community for Scotland”.

But eight years after construction began on the effort to build Scotland’s own version of the Prince’s Poundbury sustainable village in Dorset, it has emerged that just 31 homes out of a planned 770 have been built.

Now, the Prince’s Foundation - which pumped millions of pounds into the East Ayrshire project - has revealed the housing site will be “reviewed and evaluated” over the next year.

In recent annual accounts published by Companies House, the charity said it was taking time to pause and consider Knockroon’s evolution.

It states: “The development company continues to work towards making good defects and developing the infrastructure for the roads and pavements. Over the next year the Knockroon project will be reviewed and evaluated. Following review, a comprehensive plan of development will be presented for consideration before the next phase of work commences.”

The Prince of Wales acquired land at Knockroon, near Cumnock, in 2007 as part of a wider £45 million deal to save the 18th century Palladian mansion, Dumfries House, for the nation.

Some £20 million of his own charitable foundations’ cash was put into the project, and Knockroon’s blueprint was granted outline planning permission by East Ayrshire Council in 2011.

At the time it laid out a vision for 770 houses, 330 of which were to have been built by 2017 and the project was endorsed by the Scottish Government as an “ambitious and inspiring” design example, quickly dubbed Scotland’s rival to Poundbury in Dorset.

Plans for the site, between Cumnock and Auchinleck, had been to create “a vibrant, sustainable community.”

But nearly a decade on from the documents being submitted, just 31 homes have been built and the future is uncertain.

Poundbury, meanwhile, was inspired by Prince Charles’s vision of urban life where roads, schools, health centres, shops and parks blend in with landscaped homes.

At the beginning of 2016, approximately 3,000 people were living in Poundbury and over 2,000 people were working in businesses there.

Situated between Cumnock and Auchinleck, the plans for the Scots village grew out of a 69-acre site secured as part of the rescue package spearheaded by the Prince for Dumfries House.

Back in 2013, Prince Charles said: “Just as we are what we eat, I believe we are what we are surrounded by. The art of place-making was all but dead, as was the skill of creating genuine communities rather than rather soulless housing estates, until I determined to revive these timeless skills over 25 years ago. Although it seems misunderstood, my concern for design is part of a much wider concern about the impact places have on the people who live or work in or around them. My concern is for the built environment as a whole and how that environment affects the way people feel and live.”

And referring specifically to Knockroon, said: “The aim here is to regenerate the area by creating a vibrant, sustainable community with houses, offices, shops and a school.”

Professor Alan Dunlop, a fellow of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland and the Royal Society of Arts, said, though, that “it has not delivered” on its vision.

He said: “The original marketing promised heritage-led regeneration and the delivery of both a new community and improved quality of life.

“It has not delivered on these ambitions and its ersatz Georgian and mock Scottish vernacular creations have done little to attract industry or to inspire other volume house builders.

“This area surely cries out for authentic investment in good quality housing, which local people can relate to and can afford. Imported pastiche from past centuries is not the appropriate response.”

Gordon Neil, deputy executive director of the Prince’s Foundation, said: “The Prince’s Foundation remains fully committed to realising its vision for Knockroon. A decade has passed since the creation of the masterplan for the site, and much has changed in that time in terms of the local and wider economy.

“As in all long-term construction projects, it is incumbent on us, the developers, to remain flexible and adaptable to changing conditions throughout the build, and we will conduct a review that allows us to ensure we create a development that meets the needs of the community.”

He added: “During the first two years of the second phase of the development, we will look to make significant investment into the project. The project will use the local supply chain, demonstrating investment into the local community as well as minimising environmental impact through shorter transportation times of materials.

"In line with The Prince’s Foundation’s commitment to offering education and training opportunities where possible, modern apprenticeships will be offered across all trades on the development.”