It has long been likened to a scene from a post-apocalyptic film — a crumbling ghost town riddled with drugs, fires and crime — but now the notorious Clune Estate in Port Glasgow is being flattened for good.
Construction crews have begun the slow and careful process of demolishing what’s left of the once-bustling housing estate, with workers donning thick gloves and steel-toed boots to protect themselves from the broken glass and discarded needles that litter the site.
The estate, dubbed the “Scottish Chernobyl” for its likeness to the abandoned Ukrainian town near the site of the nuclear disaster, had spiralled into ruin after years of neglect and social decline. What was once a proud community has become a bleak wasteland.
During its heyday, the Clune Estate was a vibrant hub, home to shipyard workers from the nearby Lithgow yard. Built after the First World War, the estate had its own school, church, shops and community centre. Children rode their bikes in the evenings and neighbours felt safe.
But as shipbuilding collapsed in the 1990s, the community unraveled. Property prices plunged, residents left, and landlords moved in to house benefits claimants through council schemes. Over time, the estate descended into chaos, with 14 fires in just eight months at its worst.
Drug abuse, vandalism and crime became so rampant that families who remained fled. From 480 households, only five people still lived there as of this year.
Most were desperate to leave. Those who stayed clung to memories of better days.
When MailOnline visited this week, bulldozers were busy tearing through the shells of flats. One construction worker said he and his team were constantly on edge about what they might uncover — especially syringes hidden in the debris. Pointing to broken masonry, he described the “stubborn” bricks that had resisted demolition.
The surrounding ruins of shops and offices, now blackened and hollow, told the story of years of arson. The church, school and community centre had all been torched after they were shut down. Thieves later stripped the buildings for lead and copper piping.
Now, the council has designated the land for new housing as part of a major regeneration effort. Plans to rebuild had been floated as far back as 2007, but until now, little progress had been made.
One of the area’s largest landlords, David Hay Smith, confirmed that a proposal to improve the estate was laid out more than fourteen years ago — a plan to create a safer, more hopeful community.
It’s a vision that might finally be realised, now that the ghosts of Clune Estate are being laid to rest.