‘Ugly Motherwell’ jibe sparks stout defence

Dec 11 2008 by Shirley Bartynek, Hamilton Advertiser

‘Ugly Motherwell’ jibe sparks stout defence

MOTHERWELL is in the running to land the unenviable title of the country’s most “dismal” community.

The town was this week short-listed in the annual Carbuncle Awards.

Motherwell joins four other towns, Cardenden, Nitshill, Newmilns and Darvel, who are all in with a chance of being crowned as the nation’s ugliest place to live.

The judges from Architecture Scotland magazine have named and shamed the five communities for being blighted by ‘neglect and civic complacency’.

But the nomination this week sparked debate among residents and North Lanarkshire councillors.

Councillor Thomas Maginnis, convener of the Regeneration Committee, said: “At a time of grave economic uncertainty, when we are working to secure new investment and safeguard jobs, it’s especially unhelpful to have to contend with this kind of negative, cheap-shot publicity.

“We know the challenges we are facing, but this kind of thinking does nothing to help us meet them. In fact, it does more harm than good.

“Perhaps the organisers of this narrow-minded nonsense should step down from their pedestals once in a while and try to see the bigger picture. It just might surprise them.”

Motherwell West councillor Paul Kelly, who recently campaigned to save the Dalziel Workspace building from demolition, hit out at the news.

He said: “I find the Carbuncle Awards pathetic. They offer nothing but empty criticism and they achieve nothing but easy publicity. It’s very simple to swan in and point out problems. It’s far more difficult to work with those problems, day after day, and to find real, sustainable, effective solutions to them.

“Motherwell has very proud history and we all want to deliver the Town Centre it deserves. As a local authority we work with our residents, and actively engage with communities to take on their ideas and identify opportunities for improvement. The Carbuncle organisers cannot say the same.

“We have already invested, and continue to invest, millions of pounds in the development of the town and its surrounding areas, and we work with Cala Properties, the owners of the town centre, to promote and develop the site and encourage inward investment and growth. Again, the Carbuncle organisers cannot say the same.”

Brian Miller, rector of Dalziel High School in Motherwell, which recently received an excellent HMIe report, disagreed with the judges.

He said: “It is unfair say that about the town. Efforts are being made to regenerate the area and they are not going to take place overnight. These things take time.

“Motherwell is a great place to live. You just have to look at all the establishments round the area, not just the schools.

“The heritage centre, Strathclyde Park, Fir Park, with a Premier League football team and the motorway access from commuting to Glasgow and Edinburgh.”

Mr Miller added: “The town has so much going for it. How can it possibly be a carbuncle?”

l In 2001 Cumbernauld was awarded the unwanted accolade.