Scots 'Chernobyl' housing estate to be torn down as council call in bulldozers

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An abandoned Scots housing estate dubbed 'Britain's Chernobyl' is set to be finally demolished - despite its final residents vowing not to move.

Derelict Clune Park has been virtually empty for years and pictures show it resembling something from a post-apocalyptic film.

Built in 1905 it is made up of 430 flats in rotting tenement buildings as well as a rundown church - all covered in graffiti and litter.The estate in Port Glasgow was abandoned in 1997 and is now a ghost town with just a handful of residents chosing to remain.It has also become a magnet for urban explorers.But in the latest chapter of the long running row, the council has now issued dangerous building notices for 138 properties.Inverclyde Council, which issued the notices on 16 July, believes the buildings are beyond repair and should be knocked down.The council, which owns over 50 per cent of the estate, had invited private owners to appeal against the notices but no objections were received by the deadline of 6 August.Tenders for the demolition of the flats, a primary school and former church are currently being sought.The dangerous building notices are the latest stage of the Clune Park Regeneration Plan which aims to demolish all 45 original buildings within the estate and build new housing units in their place.Despite this some of the last residents living there have refused to leave.Speaking last year, Marshal Craig, 71, said he was one of just five people left there but had no plans to move- claiming it is "idyllic".The retired forestry worker said: "I've lived here for 20 years all in all and four years in this particular house."Quite frankly, I don't want to move and I'm quite happy here."I know it's rough sometimes and people come in and