Residents living in the shadow of an ‘apocalyptic’ eco-village backed by King Charles say the vacant homes are a sign the project was ‘always doomed to fail’.
The houses were built on a former oil refinery site in Llandarcy, near Neath, South Wales, under plans to turn industrial land into a thriving new village named Coed Darcy.
But seven of the houses – worth more than £1million – have been left to rot.
And while parts of the project now resembles a rural village – the trial of uninhabited houses have left an unwelcome mark.
A grandmother and mother-of-two living on the estate said: ‘I don’t get why you would build a group of houses – they were the first to go up – and then never sell them.
‘No one has ever lived in them but there are young families around here who are on the housing list.
‘People say the ground is contaminated because it used to be the site of an oil refinery but if that’s the case our houses may have been built on contaminated land.’
Residents living on the new estate were promised 1,800 houses, a school, shops, sporting facilities and open spaces to enjoy the fresh air.
The houses were built on a former oil refinery site in Llandarcy, near Neath, South Wales, under plans to turn industrial land into a thriving new village named Coed Darcy
Seven of the houses – worth more than £1million – have been left to rot
Neath Port Talbot Council say the project ‘stalled’ and discussions are underway with a major Birmingham-based property developer to revitalise Coed Darcy
Instead, a mere 300 homes were built and the schools, shops and sports hall never materialised.
Residents claim the properties were never sold because they were built on contaminated land.
However, development and investment group Brighton STM who own the site denied the land was contaminated.
They claim that the seven houses are ‘original model buildings’ constructed for demonstration purposes only.
Adding that they have spent almost £90millon remediating and preparing the land while waiting for planning approval for the next phase of development.
Meanwhile, the ‘zombie’ part of the estate, surrounded by a six ft fence has led to unwanted visitors attempting to film in the area, disturbing the peace of neighbours.
Local filmmaker Jay Curtis who was exploring the surrounding area when he stumbled upon the development, said: ‘It’s like a village that time forgot.
‘The only thing I can compare it to is an apocalyptic film – like something you’d stumble across in a Hollywood movie.
‘At one stage I thought maybe it was a film set because Wales has a lot of filming going on at the moment.’
Pictured: Mock-ups of what the development was intended to look like
While parts of the project now resembles a rural village – the trial of uninhabited houses have left an unwelcome mark
The ‘zombie’ part of the estate, surrounded by a six ft fence has led to unwanted visitors attempting to film in the area, disturbing the peace of neighbours
Teacher Sarah Hughes, 32, who moved onto the estate recently, said: ‘I know people living here are quite annoyed about the empty houses but you can’t see them from where I live.
‘I was told they were built as a sort of test but no one has ever lived there. It’s strange that they are being left to go to ruin.’
Developers say they were built as show homes for the giant estate which was visited by the King – then the Prince of Wales – when the first phase was completed in 2013.
The Daily Mail can now reveal the abandoned houses will be bulldozed under the next phase of the development.
Resident Matt Wilcox, 32, a junior solutions architect, said: ‘The houses were the first to go up, possibly to test the stability of the land after it was an oil refinery.
‘I’ve lived here for three years, it’s nice, it’s quiet and where I live on the estate you can’t see the houses.’
Neath Port Talbot Council say the project ‘stalled’ and discussions are underway with a major Birmingham-based property developer to revitalise Coed Darcy.
Neath Port Talbot Council explained that the original developers were St Modwen Properties and then their parent company Blackstone Group, who ‘moved’ responsibility of the site to subsidiary firm Revantage.
A spokesperson said: ‘The development has largely stalled in recent years in a difficult economic climate with previous applications having sought to vary the terms of the legal agreement relating to the overall development to make such development viable and deliverable.
‘To date approximately 300 homes have been delivered at the site. The council has continued to engage in discussions with the developers in respect of reviewing its masterplan and agreeing the most appropriate way forward to deliver a viable yet sustainable development at Coed Darcy.’
Residents living on the new estate were promised 1,800 houses, a school, shops, sporting facilities and open spaces to enjoy the fresh air
The council has received a new planning application and this submission has followed a period where Revantage engaged with the community as part of their statutory pre-application consultation.
The spokesperson added: ‘The council is currently carrying out a re-consultation in accordance with standard procedures, the period for which closes on March 2.’
A spokesman for Brighton STM Group said: ‘Brighton STM Group has a 50‑year track record of delivery and we are disappointed that this site has remained stuck in the planning system for more than five years.
‘Nearly 300 homes at Llandarcy are already complete and fully occupied, with almost £90m spent on security, groundwork and site preparation while we await approval for the next phase.
‘We have always sought to work constructively with the Council to ensure proposals are viable and meet planning requirements and believe it is in the interests of local communities that these plans are approved imminently to avoid further unnecessary delay and enable the delivery of a thriving community with excellent local services.’