AN award for "the most dismal town in Scotland" has been scrapped following backlash from its latest recipient.
The Carbuncle Awards for architecture, run by the Urban Realm journal, chose Port Glasgow as the winner of its "Plook on the Plinth" award two weeks ago.
The awards, which have been widely criticised in the past for singling out towns which are struggling, returned after an absence of 10 years.
The journal singled out the town’s Gallagher Shopping Park and A8 dual carriageway which “dulls the senses while sucking life from the town centre”.
This led to backlash, with Inverclyde’s Provost, Port Glasgow residents, and local business owner Drew McKenzie, saying the award's 10-year absence "speaks for itself".
He said: “It’s ironic that Port Glasgow has been bestowed this ‘honour’ at a time of transformation and celebration for the town – and in the town’s 250th anniversary year, which saw record crowds gather to celebrate the past, present and future of the town.”
Another Port Glasgow local, writing in The National, argued that the awards "singled out ... overwhelmingly working class communities and have long been neglected or side-lined in national investment priorities".
"Of course, it is right to point out we shouldn’t have to live in neglected environments, and we must demand better. But selling it as a competition for the ‘ugliest’ place in Scotland opens the floor to make jokes and is more mean-spirited than constructive," they wrote.
"I live in Port Glasgow and I’m proud to tell you it’s really not that bad! In fact, it’s actually an unexpected but wonderful place to call home."
Social entrepreneur Kevin Green also refused to accept the trophy on behalf of Port Glasgow, denouncing it as "poverty tourism".
But he has now accepted the new award, which instead recognises untapped potential and community spirit.
