COATBRIDGE could be dubbed the country’s most dismal town after being short-listed for the infamous Carbuncle Awards. One local deemed the town ‘horrid’ enough to warrant a nomination for the not-so-prestigious Plook on the Plinth accolade, which aims to find Scotland’s most dreary town. Organised by a UK architecture and design magazine, the Carbuncles Award is run every two years and sets out to expose the countries most miserable places to live and work. Neighbouring Airdrie drew the short straw in 2001 when literally hundreds of people voted it the worst town in Scotland, whilst fellow Lanarkshire town, Cumbernauld, picked up the award no one wants to win two years in a row. But is Coatbridge really such a miserable town, deserving of what is an unwanted title? Not according to councillor Tom Maginnis, who says the town may not be perfect, but is far from being the most dismal town in Scotland. He said: “I have been a resident of Coatbridge for the past 60 years and am one of the town’s local councillors. “I believe I have a duty, in both roles, to defend my town and to utterly refute any suggestion that it might deserve this ludicrous ‘Carbuncle Award’. “To suggest that Coatbridge is ‘the most dismal town in Scotland’ is absolutely nonsensical. It’s obvious that those responsible for these awards know nothing about Coatbridge, or the levels of investment that has been committed to the town.” Passionate about his home town, Councillor Maginnis believes there are areas of Coatbridge that should be highlighted following massive financial investment and regeneration projects. “North Lanarkshire Council has committed millions of pounds to the regeneration of Coatbridge. “Future plans for multi-million pound investment and improvement extend from the town centre to the Time Capsule, and additional projects are currently under discussion with various public and private sector partners. “In terms of housing, Coatbridge has some of the best in the West of Scotland, and the town also has some of the best new schools in the country. “Public facilities and amenities are excellent and the council is leading on the £10 million transformation of Summerlee Heritage Park into Scotland’s Museum of Industrial Life.” Tom Maginnis added: “There are very few towns in the UK, let alone Scotland, which have transport links like Coatbridge. “There is the north line from Airdrie to Glasgow Queen Street and the Whifflet to Central Station line. Glasgow Airport is 30 minutes away, Edinburgh Airport is 35 minutes away and it only takes around 40 minutes to get to Prestwick Airport. “Whoever nominated Coatbridge must have not taken their medication that day.” Despite being only one of two towns nominated so far alongside New Cumnock in Ayrshire, Graham Young, of Carbuncle organisers Prospect magazine, believes Coatbridge has potential. “There is no reason why Coatbridge cannot be a great place to live,” Graham told the Advertiser. “The aim of the Carbuncles is to draw attention to where these towns are going wrong - look at the amount of regeneration in Cumbernauld after it was voted Plook on a Plinth two years in a row. “Coatbridge should be an excellent place to live, it has all the raw ingredients, it just lacks political ambition.” Coatbridge’s only nominee, who calls himself the Town Cryer, has dubbed Coatbridge the “most miserable and dingy place in Scotland that I can possibly think of.” After posting a picture on the Carbuncle Awards website, he added: “The whole town is dreadful to be honest, but this area is especially depressing. “It's a big concrete block of a place, while money has been spent to try to make the ASDA building slightly more attractive...it’s been a complete failure as well. Horrid.” Councillor Maginnis, who is also Convener of North Lanarkshire Council’s Regeneration Committee added: “We don’t pretend Coatbridge or any other town centre in North Lanarkshire is perfect, but it, like all the others in our charge, is the subject of an ongoing, multi-million pound campaign of investment and improvement which, unlike the Carbuncle Awards, offers something constructive, positive and forward thinking to the town and to the people who live there. “This is an issue about which I feel very strongly. I’m confident that the vast majority of people in the Coatbridge community are very proud of their town. Most, in fact, won’t even have heard of the Carbuncle Awards – and long may that continue.” Graham Young added: “What sets the Carbuncles apart is that it is not about punishing towns that are ugly through no fault of their own. “We want to embarrass the places that have bags of potential into properly exploiting it.” The deadline for nominations is November 15 and a panel of experts will spend weeks travelling to and assessing each town before members of the public are asked to vote. The winner, or loser, will be announced in December. What do you, the people of Coatbridge and Airdrie, think about the Carbuncle Awards? Is Coatbridge an undeserving nominee or is it genuinely a dismal place to work and live? Send us your thoughts to acadvertiser@s-un.co.uk or write to Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser, 5 - 15 Bank Street, Airdrie, ML6 6AF. “The whole town is dreadful to be honest, but this area is especially depressing.” | 
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