{"id":412899,"date":"2025-09-10T10:31:22","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T10:31:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/412899\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T10:31:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T10:31:22","slug":"port-glasgow-named-scotlands-most-dismal-town-as-carbuncle-awards-return-but-locals-hit-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/412899\/","title":{"rendered":"Port Glasgow named Scotland’s ‘most dismal’ town as Carbuncle Awards return – but locals hit back\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

A town in Inverclyde has been given the dubious honour of being named the most dismal place in Scotland.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Following a hiatus, The Carbuncle Awards are back for 2025 and aim to \u201cappraise the condition of urban Scotland with a fresh pair of eyes\u201d following a decade of economic and societal change.<\/p>\n

Previously, the unwanted Plook on the Plinth trophy, awarded by Scottish magazine Urban Realm, declared Aberdeen, Cumbernauld, Denny, Airdrie, Coatbridge and New Cumnock as some of the most dismal areas in Scotland.<\/p>\n

But this year, the award has gone to Port Glasgow in Inverclyde, which is celebrating its 250th anniversary.<\/p>\n

\"TheSTV NewsThe town\u2019s Clune Park estate has been dubbed \u2018Scotland\u2019s Chernobyl\u2019 STV News\"\"\/STV News\u2018Scotland\u2019s Chernobyl\u2019<\/p>\n

The shipbuilding town on the banks of the River Clyde is home to more than 14,000 people, but in recent years, parts of it have been dubbed \u2018Scotland\u2019s Chernobyl\u2019.<\/p>\n

Clune Park, on the edge of the town, was given the unfortunate moniker due to its derelict buildings and abandoned state.<\/p>\n

A major redevelopment is under way at the site, with an initial 138 properties across 15 tenement blocks to be demolished.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/a>\"Play\u2018Port Glasgow has grit\u2019<\/p>\n

TV presenter Jean Johansson, who grew up in the town, insisted Port Glasgow is far from dismal and has a lot to offer visitors.<\/p>\n

She told STV News: \u201cBeing from Port Glasgow is an intrinsic and fundamental part of who I am as a person, part of everything I\u2019ve achieved.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a grit and a sense of community that I grew up with, which has served me so well in my career.<\/p>\n

\"TVSTV NewsTV presenter Jean Johansson, who grew up in the town, insists Port Glasgow is far from dismal and has a lot to offer visitors. STV News<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people in Inverclyde are the nicest you\u2019ll meet. From an architectural point of view, that town has a lot to offer with places like Newark Castle, the Ropeworks and the sculptures.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are next in line for regeneration, putting the love back into the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to walk whoever did these awards around the port and meet some people, have a look at all the buildings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m biased, but standing back and looking at the waterfront with the sculptures lit up at night\u2026there\u2019s nothing dismal about that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing that makes it not dismal at all is the community spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Squandered potential\u2019<\/p>\n

Commenting on the award, event organiser and Urban Realm editor John Glenday said:\u00a0\u201cHaving paused to catch our breath, the\u00a0Carbuncle\u00a0Awards have emerged into a post-Covid world, where issues around housing, retail and public service provision are more acute than ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cPort Glasgow is a town of squandered potential. Look beyond the grey walls, rubble and boarded-up windows to long vistas,\u00a0and\u00a0you will see the beauty of the place, still punctuated by the grandeur of the library.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, the immediate environment fails to do justice to what could and should be a jewel in the Clyde\u2019s crown.<\/p>\n

\"PortPort Glasgow has been named Scotland\u2019s most dismal town. <\/p>\n

\u201cClune Park was solidly built and once home to a thriving community\u00a0and\u00a0with investment, it could have done so again.<\/p>\n

\u201cIssues around population decline and deprivation are real but are best dealt with by working with established assets, not sweeping buildings aside in the hope that the underlying problems will go away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Discover Inverclyde, the region\u2019s tourist board, has been contacted for comment.<\/p>\n

STV News is now on WhatsApp<\/p>\n

Get all the latest news from around the country<\/p>\n

Follow STV News <\/a>Follow STV News on WhatsApp<\/p>\n

Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country<\/p>\n

\"WhatsApp<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A town in Inverclyde has been given the dubious honour of being named the most dismal place in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":412900,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7826],"tags":[748,918,4884,712,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-412899","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-glasgow","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-glasgow","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-scotland","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115179545404335362","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=412899"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412899\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/412900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=412899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=412899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=412899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}