Why are the new homes in Llandarcy, Wales, still empty?

The homes in Llandarcy remain empty primarily because of delays in completing essential infrastructure, such as roads, which were planned as part of a larger regeneration scheme.

What was the original plan for the village in Llandarcy?

The original plan was to create a £1.2bn, 25-year regeneration scheme for a former oil refinery site, envisioning an eco-friendly urban village with 4,000 homes and space for 10,000 residents.

Was Prince Charles involved in the Llandarcy development?

Yes, the development drew inspiration from Prince Charles's Poundbury project, and he visited the site in 2013 to support the vision for an environmentally-sustainable urban village.

Home / Business and Economy / Wales' Ghost Village: Royal Project Now Empty

Wales' Ghost Village: Royal Project Now Empty

8 Feb

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Summary

Newly-built Welsh village homes remain vacant for over a decade.
The eco-village was inspired by Prince Charles's Poundbury project.
Infrastructure delays prevented the 4,000-home regeneration plan.

Wales' Ghost Village: Royal Project Now Empty

A village of newly-built homes in Wales, constructed just over a decade ago, remains unoccupied and eerily silent. The settlement, located on the outskirts of Neath in Llandarcy, was part of an ambitious £1.2bn, 25-year plan to regenerate a former BP oil refinery site.

Intended as a pilot project, these eco-friendly homes were built using traditional Welsh stone and advanced methods, drawing inspiration from Prince Charles's Poundbury development. The former Prince of Wales even visited the site in 2013, supporting the vision for a sustainable urban village.

However, the grand scheme for 4,000 homes and 10,000 residents stalled due to incomplete infrastructure. While approximately 250 homes were successfully built and occupied in the adjacent Coed Darcy estate, the connecting roads to Neath and Swansea were never finished. The showpiece hamlet, designed to integrate into the broader development, now sits vacant, a testament to unrealized ambition.