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.

Port Glasgow has been named Scotland's most dismal town. — Port Glasgow has been named Scotland’s most dismal town.

“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.”

Discover Inverclyde, the region’s tourist board, has been contacted for comment.