New Cumnock voted Scotland’s carbuncle in awards

IT HOLDS the dubious honour of being the award that nobody wants. The annual Carbuncle Awards – which “celebrate” Scotland’s most dismal towns – are announced today, with an East Ayrshire mining village taking the main accolade.

New Cumnock will be handed the Plook on the Plinth for the “continued haemorrhaging of shops on the High Street and a general absence of maintenance on derelict properties”.

As the town expanded rapidly to meet demand for coal from the late 18th century, mining remained its key industry until the pits were closed in the 1980s. It has since experienced significant decline and struggled to attract new firms.

Geoff Crolley, a local historian, will collect the award on behalf of the community of about 3,000. He said residents were disappointed it had not benefited economically from its natural resources.

“Towns like New Cumnock have given so much to businesses and what do we have to show for it?” he said. “If we count up what monies have been taken from our parish by wind farms, opencasts, reservoir and forestry in the last decade and look at our main street…

“We need help to regenerate the town. Thankfully some companies are offering help and advice; 2013 is our turning point.”

Jonathan Wood, who nominated the town, said on the entry form: “Pubs and shops boarded up. Looks as though stuck in a time warp to when the town lost its industrial heart, the mines. Very sad.”

The annual Carbuncle Awards have three categories. The Plook on the Plinth is for “the most dismal town”, the Pock Mark Award is for the “worst planning decision” that year and the Zit Building Award is for the worst modern building completed that year. The winners of the last two are yet to be announced.

New Cumnock beat off competition from Newmilns, also in East Ayrshire, to take the Plook trophy. The other runners-up are Fort William, Kirkintilloch, Motherwell and Paisley.

Adam Ingram MSP, who represents the Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley constituency, said the judges had unfairly targeted a small community.

“I’m disgusted with this award” he told The Scotsman. “This is a community struggling with de-industrialisation. The judges should have picked on a community that is big and ugly enough to respond. The community is fragile and they are looking for a sign of hope.

“New Cumnock needs a helping hand, not a kick in the teeth.”

Urban Realm editor John Glenday, one of the judges, said: “The coal may have been exhausted long ago but the energy of locals is as strong as ever, this more than anything saw our judges warm to their plight.

“We believe that with the help of this award we can dig New Cumnock out from the back of the proverbial couch.”