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Linwood condemned as a breeding ground for rats
19/12/2011
Linwood in Renfrewshire has been given the dubious honour of being named the 'grimmest town' in Scotland, snappoing up the Carbuncle Award for 2011.
The awards were launched in 2000 as a light-hearted response to the Stirling Prize for architecture. They aim to highlight poor town planning and architectural design.
The award judges said they were shocked by the state of Linwood’s shopping centre, calling it a “health and safety hazard” and a “breeding ground for rats”.
They said they had witnessed open manholes, buildings without security and a lack of waste management. The judges also noted that a statue which was supposed to represent hope rising from adversity had to be taken down after it was vandalised.
Urban Realm editor and spokesman for the Carbuncle Awards, John Glenday, said: “It’s been three months of trudging around some of the countries darkest corners, but, in the end, judging for the 2011 Carbuncle Awards didn’t prove too challenging – Linwood’s plight was simply too great to ignore.”
He said that he believed, with some effort, the town could be turned around quite quickly. A spokesperson for the local council said a number of positive developments were underway to improve the town and that the shopping centre was due to be replaced.
