Is Port Glasgow really Scotland's most dismal town?

A town in Inverclyde has been given the dubious honour of being named the most dismal place in Scotland.

Following a hiatus, The Carbuncle Awards are back for 2025 and aim to “appraise the condition of urban Scotland with a fresh pair of eyes” following a decade of economic and societal change.

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.

But this year, the award has gone to Port Glasgow in Inverclyde, which is celebrating its 250th anniversary.

‘Scotland’s Chernobyl’

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 ‘Scotland’s Chernobyl’.

Clune Park, on the edge of the town, was given the unfortunate moniker due to its derelict buildings and abandoned state.

A major redevelopment is under way at the site, with an initial 138 properties across 15 tenement blocks to be demolished.

Glasgow & West

Watch as first block of flats at ‘Scotland’s Chernobyl’ estate demolished

Bulldozers have moved in on the rundown Clune Park estate in Port Glasgow after Inverclyde Council deemed buildings to be dangerous.

‘Port Glasgow has grit’

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

She told STV News: “Being from Port Glasgow is an intrinsic and fundamental part of who I am as a person, part of everything I’ve achieved.

“There’s a grit and a sense of community that I grew up with, which has served me so well in my career.

TV 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

“The people in Inverclyde are the nicest you’ll meet. From an architectural point of view, that town has a lot to offer with places like Newark Castle, the Ropeworks and the sculptures.

“We are next in line for regeneration, putting the love back into the area.

“I want to walk whoever did these awards around the port and meet some people, have a look at all the buildings.

“I’m biased, but standing back and looking at the waterfront with the sculptures lit up at night…there’s nothing dismal about that.

“The thing that makes it not dismal at all is the community spirit.”

‘Squandered potential’

Commenting on the award, event organiser and Urban Realm editor John Glenday said: “Having paused to catch our breath, the Carbuncle Awards have emerged into a post-Covid world, where issues around housing, retail and public service provision are more acute than ever.

“Port Glasgow is a town of squandered potential. Look beyond the grey walls, rubble and boarded-up windows to long vistas, and you will see the beauty of the place, still punctuated by the grandeur of the library.

“Unfortunately, the immediate environment fails to do justice to what could and should be a jewel in the Clyde’s crown.

Plook on the Plinth trophy presented to Port Glasgow Supplied

“Clune Park was solidly built and once home to a thriving community and with investment, it could have done so again.

“Issues 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.”

‘Judges didn’t do their homework’ on the town

Provost of Inverclyde, Drew McKenzie said: “It’s ironic that Port Glasgow has been bestowed this ‘honour’ at a time of transformation and celebration for the town – and in the town’s 250^th anniversary year, which saw record crowds gather to celebrate the past, present and future of the town.

“However, as Oscar Wilde famously said, ‘there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about’, and this provides an opportunity to highlight how this so-called award couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Sadly this ‘study’ focuses on a few very specific areas but Port Glasgow is so much more. The fact that these ‘awards’ have been missing without notice for a decade speaks for itself.

“There aren’t many places that boast a town centre with award-winning businesses, a recently restored building from the 1700s, a successful retail park, a castle, the last commercial shipyard on the Lower Clyde, a famous sculpture, first-class transport links by road, rail, air and sea, a swimming pool, new housing, and wonderful outdoor spaces all surrounded by breathtaking views – and that’s just one area.

“To the east and west of the town centre are some of Inverclyde’s newest and most desirable places to live while the east is also home to a successful business park with ambitious plans for expansion and Parklea which features a brand new community hub, horticultural centre, and café, a community sports stadium surrounded by several grass and all-weather pitches, stunning scenery, and plans for an exciting new ‘destination’ children’s playpark.

“There’s also upper Port Glasgow with a strong local community surrounded by excellent community facilities, including a recently revamped community centre piloting a national childcare project, a golf course, brand new or extensively refurbished schools, and a variety of modern playparks, and outdoor spaces.

“Port Glasgow is of course, like most areas, not without its challenges but we’re working closely with the local community and other partners to continually look at how we can make Port Glasgow an even better place to live, work, visit and do business.

“Clune Park was largely a privately-owned housing estate that had fallen into a dangerous condition due to years of neglect, anti-social behaviour, and deliberate fires.

“The demolition works are enforced and are being carried out in the interests of safety because dangerous buildings notices were served on residential properties, as well as the former church and school, due to their perilous conditions in line with the council’s statutory responsibilities.

“It’s extremely difficult to save let alone repurpose roof and high-level wall structures that are at risk of imminent collapse.

“Separate to this, it remains the council’s ambition to regenerate the area and we have been actively acquiring properties from private owners over a number of years and we now own a substantial proportion of the estate.

“There is a masterplan for Clune Park and, subject to availability of funding and necessary permissions, what we have is an exciting opportunity to create new housing and make it a desirable place to live once again.

“We continue to showcase sites in and around Port Glasgow to a range of developers and have generated interest in working to regenerate Clune Park with the development sector, through a recent housing summit.

“It’s disappointing that the expert judges didn’t do their homework but we would be delighted to welcome them to Port Glasgow to see for themselves the many wonderful things the town has to offer.”