WITH boarded-up houses, overflowing litter attracting rats, and piles of burnt-out fires, this notorious estate seems well worthy of the title of ‘the most depressing place to live in the UK’.
Stuck on a hill 1,100ft above sea level, surrounded by the breathtaking scenery of the Rhondda Valley, Penrhys has never been able to shake off the bleak reputation it’s had since it was first built in the late 1960s.
WNSThe Penrhys estate in South Wales has been plagued by misfortune[/caption]
WNSRubbish and debris has piled up on the estate[/caption]
WNSIt has also been ravaged by arson attacks from yobs[/caption]
It has only one shop, one takeaway and a church still operating. The old doctor’s surgery and other amenities are shut, while many of the houses lay empty, surrounded by piles of dumped furniture.
But despite its outwardly scruffy appearance, the people who live in one of the poorest estates in Wales are fiercely protective of their estate.
They are also excitedly anticipating the winds of change as bulldozers prepare to move in, flattening the black-stained, wind and rain-weathered buildings to make way for new houses in a £50million regeneration project.
Jan Griffiths, 72, has lived there since she married in 1970.
“It was lovely when we moved here. Everybody knew everybody, there was a community centre and things going on all the time, and it was great,” she tells The Sun.
“Over the years there was a lot of trouble going on up here. We had people setting cars on fire, we had guns up here and things like that, but those days are gone now.”
“We’ve got the church here which has everything. Everybody rallies round and there’s a lot going on, you can go to anybody for a chat,” she adds.
“It might be a bit run down, but there are lots of run-down places. Anybody who wants to criticise should come and visit and see what a welcome they get – we welcome anybody.”
But there are still some residents of Penrhys – which has been dubbed the UK’s ‘most depressing place’ in online forums – who think the issues exist as much as they ever did.
One resident who has lived on the estate for more than 50 years and asked to remain anonymous told us: “It’s s*** living here.
“I’ve had four leaks in my house, from pipes to the roof, and it’s a struggle getting anyone to come out to look or fix anything, they don’t want to know.
“I took the housing association to court because they refused to come and fix things, and I won.
“I have a shed inside at the front of the house, which has no ceiling, and the council refuse to give us proper bins, so there’s rubbish everywhere on the estate which never gets cleaned up.
“We have to put out black bags which get collected every four weeks, and recycling every Friday. Cats and foxes open them, and the rubbish goes all over the place.
WNSHuge hoards of rubbish have been set alight[/caption]
WNSThe area’s shops and facilities have been left blackened[/caption]
WNSThe old doctors’ surgery lies abandoned[/caption]
“I had rats running around in the roof, so I had to get pest control in, but I haven’t seen any recently, touch wood.
“I’m stuck here, and there’s nothing for anyone to do. If I could leave tomorrow, I’d be gone in shot.
“When I first moved up here as a teenager it was lovely.
“But how it is now, you wouldn’t think it’s the same site.”
Boom and bust
Penrhys was opened in 1968, as a modern council house development, and at the time, with 951 houses and flats, it was the biggest public sector estate in Wales.
The coal industry was booming and all the homes were heated by an innovative central coal system.
It also met a request from the National Coal Board for 250 homes for local miners.
But as the coal mines shut one by one, the redundant miners left, and deprived families from the surrounding areas were moved in.
I had rats running around in the roof, so I had to get pest control in, but I haven’t seen any recently, touch wood
Because of the influx of socially impoverished families moving on to the estate, it was seen as an undesirable place to move to by some, and many of the homes remained empty.
Eventually the empty units were trashed by vandals, damaged beyond repair, and boarded up with metal doors and windows, as they remain today.
Nonetheless, there remains a strong neighbourhood spirit determined to turn Penrhys’s fortunes around.
WNSJan Griffiths, 72, says the community has rallied round the embattled estate[/caption]
WNSA clothing shop in the llanfair Uniting Church and community centre, which has worked to turn the area’s fortunes around[/caption]
Neil Thomas, 46, is a community volunteer at the Llanfair Uniting Church.
The local church hosts a boys and girls club, toddler group, café, homework club for primary children, dance and parkour classes and youth clubs.
He said: “Because of all the church has going on there is a much better atmosphere here than there was a couple of years ago.
“As well as the clubs and other events we have housing surgery Trivallis (the housing association), Citizens Advice come up, so the communication between professionals and the community is better than it’s ever been.
“We also have a privately-run food bank and furniture bank. When people move up here in bad circumstances, they come with nothing, so we like to try to help them with what they need.
“There is a lot of poverty here and not a lot of employment around, although I know Asda employ quite a few people from here.
WNSAn ice cream van has been vandalised and torched[/caption]
WNSA regeneration plan will see the bulldozers move in[/caption]
WNSThe estate is surrounded by stunning views of south Wales[/caption]
“What I love about it is the community spirit. Like everywhere, no one is perfect and no one is claiming to be perfect.
“A lot of the rubbish you see dumped is fly tipped by outsiders who think Penrhys don’t care, and dump stuff in the middle of the night, but we get the blame for it.
“Going back, it did feel a bit forgotten, there weren’t a lot of changes going and you didn’t see any professionals, especially during Covid, and everybody was left to fend for themselves.
“It did have a lot of issues, but it’s different now we have the regeneration and monthly meetings with the developers and an open channel of communication so we can say what we want from it.”
Arson yobs
Perched 1,170ft above the Rhondda, Penrhys’s steep paths lead to rain-battered council blocks of up to four storeys, which once housed an isolated community of poverty and crime separated from the valley life below.
Its image to outsiders grew worse in the early 90s when gangs of arsonists as young at 10 terrorised the estate, pelting firefighters with stones as they battled to control the blazing buildings.
Weeks later demolition teams moved in to tear down 10 blocks of flats ripped apart by the fires.
Today only 300 homes remain, many single occupancies, with a population of less than 600 people.
Housing association Trivallis plans to build 1,000 new houses, a school and a community centre.
Duncan Forbes, Chief Executive at Trivallis, said: “We’re really sorry if any tenant feels unheard, especially in Penrhys, where we’ve built strong relationships by having a dedicated community housing officer and a repairs team set up on-site to fix issues faster.
“Right now, we’re getting ready to submit the first-phase planning application for the regeneration of Penrhys in summer 2025. The project will take several years, and we’ve secured several empty properties across the estate to enable us to build the new homes and deliver the project.
“What makes this new development different is how involved the community is in developing plans for the estate with us. We’re having community sessions every month, so residents, Trivallis and all the other partners can talk through the plans together.
“Penrhys is far from forgotten — when you take time to get to know people there you can see that it’s a strong, caring community where people look out for each other. Local volunteers have worked with us and other partners to support people and make a positive difference.
“We’re proud to work with residents to build a better future and excited for what we’ll achieve together.”
WNSNeil Thomas, a community volunteer, says the rubbish dumped is from out-of-town fly tippers[/caption]
WNSViews across the valley from the bottom of the estate[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
