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Rubbish towns

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Samuel88

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The last time I had been to Harlow town centre over 15 years ago, it was in a word, crap. I visited today and things haven't changed. Half the shops are shuttered, there are beggars and drunks everywhere and the whole air of the town feels to me faintly sinister. Can any other town match Harlow in it's rubbishness?
 
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bramling

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The last time I had been to Harlow town centre over 15 years ago, it was in a word, crap. I visited today and things haven't changed. Half the shops are shuttered, there are beggars and drunks everywhere and the whole air of the town feels to me faintly sinister. Can any other town match Harlow in it's rubbishness?

Stevenage
Skelmersdale
Kirkby
Peterlee
Hatfield
Sandy

Wonder what the link is?!
 

class387

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Luton and Rotherham are my least favourite in the UK. The area around Peckham Rye station is pretty unpleasant too.
 

Samuel88

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Stevenage
Skelmersdale
Kirkby
Peterlee
Hatfield
Sandy

Wonder what the link is?!
I'll say it, the problem with most new towns is that they are populated almost exclusively with the 'working class'. Milton Keynes is the only town in my opinion that got it right, due to it attracting people of all classes.
 

mikeg

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Haven't been to Harlow, my only knowledge of it coming from Darren hayman 's excellence 'Pram Town' LP which towards the end does seem to acknowledge the problems this town encountered. Milton Keynes looks beautiful and has few problems other than being extremely tiring to get around on foot. Peterlee was indeed a disappointment when I visited, but my opinion of places without a station tend to be low anyway.

But it's not just poorer new towns that are rubbish. For example there's something about settle that just says 'pass me the sick bucket'.
 

Aictos

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Letchworth GC can be added to that list as can Skegness but am surprised that the worse place in the UK hadn’t yet been mentioned... Step forward Sheerness on Sea!
 

Bletchleyite

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I'll say it, the problem with most new towns is that they are populated almost exclusively with the 'working class'. Milton Keynes is the only town in my opinion that got it right, due to it attracting people of all classes.

Yes, the money from London does seem to have helped MK's cause - it is quite a middle class place when you compare it with the likes of Skem and Kirkby.

But away from New Towns - Northampton town centre is an abject dump, one of the downright nastiest and scruffiest places I've had the misfortune to go to (and it might say a lot about its appeal that it took me about 16 years of living in MK before I even bothered going). That close to London there really should be a lot more money there to improve it (but the theatre is nice). Probably on a par with Luton.

To be fair Bletchley town centre is hardly nice but at least it's a bit green and tree-lined.
 

Butts

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Newport ( SouthWales) where I lived till recently was a bit of a tip - plenty of beggars and boarded up shops.

Falkirk my new (and previous to 2 years in Wales) residence is a little less forthcoming on the hobo front but has plenty of empty retail premises adorning the town centre.

Why did I come back ? :E
 

nr758123

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I once worked in Bacup, in the badlands between Rochdale and Burnley.

I very quickly discovered the following (ok, I've used a bit of artistic licence but worryingly close to the truth).
  • Everybody knows each other
  • Everybody hates each other
  • The police are usually involved
  • Only seven names in the cemetery
 

Bletchleyite

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Newport ( SouthWales) where I lived till recently was a bit of a tip - plenty of beggars and boarded up shops.

Yes, went there recently and thought it pretty nasty (the "tin shack" station is also nasty). Swansea isn't great either. Cardiff is lovely, though (I'd happily live there) - needs some spreading out of the wealth.
 

Mag_seven

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Half the shops are shuttered, there are beggars and drunks everywhere and the whole air of the town feels to me faintly sinister.

plenty of beggars and boarded up shops.

TBH that probably could describe a lot of places thanks to the demise of the High St and austerity. And of course all these places mostly voted to leave the EU.
 

Bletchleyite

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TBH that probably could describe a lot of places thanks to the demise of the High St and austerity. And of course all these places mostly voted to leave the EU.

While that's a bit OT, I'm of the fairly strong view that the reason for this is that it was effectively a vote for "change, any change".
 

J-2739

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Hartlepool has always looked dreary when I visited it, bearing in mind that my last visit was approximately 5 years ago...

Luton and Rotherham are my least favourite in the UK. The area around Peckham Rye station is pretty unpleasant too.
I like Peckham. Yes, it is a slum, but not a derelict, abandoned slum.
 

yorksrob

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Haven't been to Harlow, my only knowledge of it coming from Darren hayman 's excellence 'Pram Town' LP which towards the end does seem to acknowledge the problems this town encountered. Milton Keynes looks beautiful and has few problems other than being extremely tiring to get around on foot. Peterlee was indeed a disappointment when I visited, but my opinion of places without a station tend to be low anyway.

But it's not just poorer new towns that are rubbish. For example there's something about settle that just says 'pass me the sick bucket'.

I rather like Settle. Good chippy that does spam fritters.

I once worked in Bacup, in the badlands between Rochdale and Burnley.

I very quickly discovered the following (ok, I've used a bit of artistic licence but worryingly close to the truth).
  • Everybody knows each other
  • Everybody hates each other
  • The police are usually involved
  • Only seven names in the cemetery

On a positive note, also where they filmed "Juliet Bravo" (although that presumably also constitutes the police being involved).

I was never keen on Reading when I lived around there.
 

AM9

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Yes, the money from London does seem to have helped MK's cause - it is quite a middle class place when you compare it with the likes of Skem and Kirkby.
MK is a second wave newtown, certainly as far as London goes. Of the original post-war Home Counties towns: Basildon, Bracknell, Crawley, Harlow, Hatfield, Hemel Henpstead and Stevenage, Bracknell is generally recognised as the most successful mix of social-economic groups which is probably the main reason for it having the least antisocial behaviour issues.
 

Bletchleyite

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I was never keen on Reading when I lived around there.

I don't mind it. "Reading, for when Slough isn't good enough". Which is most of the time, really.

Mind you, almost everywhere in that direction out of London is a bit rubbish until you get past Didcot. All the nice places are a bit further south.
 

Bletchleyite

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MK is a second wave newtown, certainly as far as London goes. Of the original post-war Home Counties towns: Basildon, Bracknell, Crawley, Harlow, Hatfield, Hemel Henpstead and Stevenage, Bracknell is generally recognised as the most successful mix of social-economic groups which is probably the main reason for it having the least antisocial behaviour issues.

That's quite interesting, as in terms of what the place looks and feels like Bracknell is an abject dump.
 

yorksrob

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I don't mind it. "Reading, for when Slough isn't good enough". Which is most of the time, really.

Mind you, almost everywhere in that direction out of London is a bit rubbish until you get past Didcot. All the nice places are a bit further south.

Twyford was pleasant enough (or would have been, had I not had to work there !)
 

Tracked

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Went into Stevenage, it's like the grim bits of Doncaster without the redeeming features, useful car park near the station though.
Worked in Rotherham briefly 18 years ago, it's improved since then. Slightly.
Was in Cheltenham a few weeks ago and found it a bit disappointing.
Burton on Trent - kind of overshadowed by that awful brewery.
Coventry, although it's a slightly nicer walk from the station than I remember.
 

fishquinn

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When I opened this thread the first places that came to mind were Luton, Dunstable, Skelmersdale and Holyhead.
 

Ianno87

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The less said about Bolton nowadays, the better... Depressing beyond belief, given what a vibrant centre it used to be not many years ago.
 

Iskra

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Haven't been to Harlow, my only knowledge of it coming from Darren hayman 's excellence 'Pram Town' LP which towards the end does seem to acknowledge the problems this town encountered. Milton Keynes looks beautiful and has few problems other than being extremely tiring to get around on foot. Peterlee was indeed a disappointment when I visited, but my opinion of places without a station tend to be low anyway.

But it's not just poorer new towns that are rubbish. For example there's something about settle that just says 'pass me the sick bucket'.

I rather like Settle. Good chippy that does spam fritters.

Surely he can't mean Settle, North Yorkshire? It's a great little place, with a great chippy.
 
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