Dubbed ‘Scotland’s Chernobyl’, this derelict housing estate was once a bustling home to hundreds of families.
Just a handful of tenants now remain in Clune Park, in Port Glasgow, which has been deemed unsafe as around a third of buildings are at risk of collapsing.
Demolition crews are set to start taking them down within days, and it’s likely the rest will either follow suit or remain a ghost town indefinitely.
The decision has reignited criticism toward authorities for letting the estate end up in such a state.
Comparisons with the Ukrainian city of Pripyat, which was abandoned following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear meltdown, were first drawn years ago.
Built for the families of of shipyard workers shortly between Victorian times and the aftermath of World War One, Clyne Park’s architecture gives its desolation a uniquely eerie character.
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Its church, school and local shopfronts are still distinguishable despite the dirt, debris and overgrown vegetation around it.
But the similarities are aesthetic only: there was no catastrophic accident to force people out.
Instead, families gradually moved out over many years as the local shipbuilding industry steadily declined.
A steady fall in property values sped up when the area got a reputation for drug abuse and petty crime.
Former residents claim the state of Clyne Park was worsened by a lack of maintenance and investment.
Some still remain living on the edge of the estate but have suffered problems such as arsonists starting fires in the abandoned buildings nearby.
Inverclyde Council has been buying up the properties and claims demolishing them will set the stage for ‘regenerating’ the area.
Scheduled for demolition are 138 properties across 15 blocks, including the B-listed school.
It was originally planned to keep its frontage for a new energy centre, but one of the fires left it too dangerous to repair.
Councillor Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde Council, told Scottish Housing News: ‘It’s important to remember that the former school and church buildings and the residential properties are being demolished in the interests of safety based on professional advice following extensive investigations.
‘The council has a duty to ensure public safety across Inverclyde and take action where necessary to protect the public from dangerous buildings and that’s the position we find ourselves in with Clune Park.’
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