The 'UK's most depressing' estate full of abandoned homes - but it's now being saved

Driving towards a village perched on a windswept mountain in Wales, you start to disconnect from the bustle below. The peaks and valleys roll for miles, terraced houses pop up every so often, and the quiet is all-consuming.

But beyond the natural scenery is a community that's faced years of stigma. Once Wales's fourth most deprived community and called the "most depressing" place to live, Penrhys has long carried the weight of its 1980s reputation of antisocial behaviour, and houses in decline. Yet walking through the village, we hear about plans for a different future, as we get handed steaming cups of tea. Now, its 550 residents are on the cusp of one of Wales's biggest redevelopments.

The vision is to replace the tired, old housing stock to become a "self-sustaining town of the future," explains Huw Cook, of Trivallis Housing Association, which is leading the redevelopment.

For a community that loves where they live and has fought hard to shake off the negative reputation, Trivallis says it is working closely with residents so they shape what comes next.

"Originally it was once touted as this incredible, brand-new way of designing a village - and it just didn't work. It was completely wrong," explains Huw.

In the 60s, developers sold Penrhys as a utopian town high on a 1,100ft remote mountain, building 951 grey council blocks with panoramic views over the Rhondda valleys.

They hoped to prevent the drain of local workers, provide spacious council homes with stunning views and housing for a thriving mining industry, but when the estate opened in 1968, coal was already in decline.

The demand for the housing never came, and due to its centralised heating system, running costs were high, driving residents away. Over time, the isolated estate gained a reputation for crime, arson, and antisocial behaviour.

In 1992, The Independent described "nightly confrontations between young arsonists, some about 10 years old, and firefighters and police". Following the series of incidents, 10 blocks of flats were demolished.

By the 1990s, the government began a relocation programme and, since then, two-thirds of the homes have been demolished, leaving behind empty concrete squares, and the pub and doctor's surgery were closed.

Only around 300 homes are still standing, many of which have fallen into disrepair, as well as a shop, takeaway, primary school, and church-which doubles as a thriving community centre-all of which are planned to be regenerated.

In 2022, Welsh government data said it was the country's fourth most deprived community, and about 47% of people were in income deprivation.

Despite this, those who live there now tell us it is completely different from the 70s, and they feel safe around their "family" of a community.

"I'm not saying there's absolutely no antisocial behaviour on the estate at all now, but compared to when it was, it's so different," Huw says.

"I think the community gets quite upset and has really struggled with that because I think people have still got that vision of Penrhys that was back in the 60s to the 80s, where they did have a lot of trouble," he says.

But now, he adds: "It's completely transformed. It's not what it used to be."

As we walk around the Penrhys, it's almost completely quiet, but it quickly becomes clear why. Stepping into the community cafe, people are drinking tea and catching up in what many call "the heart" of the village.

We meet Neil Thomas, a school governor and long-time volunteer, who rejects the old stigma and says he feels safe in Penrhys, which is tired of the negativity.

"This is the first place that, in a crisis, it will pull together," he says. "Because there is that community spirit and I think that gets overlooked a lot."

Having moved to Penrhys for what he thought would be a year, he's now been here 21 years. "The community spirit is fantastic. I used to live in Ponty [Pontypridd] where you wouldn't know your neighbour. Everybody knows everybody."

He praises the housing association for its involvement so far, even if there are some fears among the community, especially given how many memories are tied to the homes.

"People are nervous, but I think generally the feedback is that it needs to be done. There are going to be some people that are slightly worried, I understand that," he said. "But the general overall feeling is it's quite exciting."

When asked if he supports the plans, he doesn't hesitate: "100%."

In the next ten years, around 230 homes are set to be demolished and replaced with about 1,000 new ones.

"I wouldn't know the binder stats," Huw says. "But I think it's certainly one of the biggest and most ambitious regeneration projects going on in Wales."

"In ten years' time, it will be a brand-new estate," he adds. "All the homes will be of the highest standard in terms of sustainability...We're not just plonking modern skyscrapers onto a mountain."

Instead, Trivallis has held regular meetings with the community to understand what they need, which includes retail and leisure spaces, homes that reflect the natural environment, local jobs, and a new school.

Huw spoke about making Penrhys a destination, blessed with stunning views, great connections to nearby towns, like thriving Treorchy, and a place where they can build on the existing community activities, like dirt biking, which we see racing past our car as we arrive.

Although attempts to redevelop Penrhys have been made before, this time, residents say it feels different, like it will go ahead.

Construction is due to start next summer and the first phase will see residents move into temporary homes as developers build 121 new, energy-efficient houses - and some residents could even be among the builders.

Trivallis has helped Penrhys locals gain construction qualifications, which Huw said could give them the skills to "work on building their own estate".

Sustainability also sits at the heart of the new plans, with green energy to cut heating costs and locally sourced materials to support Welsh jobs and cut transport emissions.

Sharon, a school governor who also works at the community cafe, echoes Neil's enthusiasm for the development as she hands us a drink.

Although she won't get to see it play out, as she is moving away for retirement, when asked how she feels about leaving, she admits, "I'm not looking forward to it."

Like Neil, she only came to Penrhys intending a short stay, but she has been here since 1991.

"I came to visit in the summer and I thought, ooh, I quite like this. People are very down-to-earth. You know where you are. And it's a close community, and I just feel at home. I enjoy living here."

She highlights the importance of keeping a community centre, with a schedule that includes sewing classes, exercise classes, art workshops, and even parkour and beatboxing.

"Because we're right in the heart of the community. We're trying to do as much as we can and we feel it could make a difference."

Huw points to Treorchy as a model; the nearby Valleys town with thriving local businesses and whose high street was voted the best in the UK in 2020.

"That's what you can replicate up the road. It's about regenerating the estate in a way that brings back assets like arts buildings and community centres so the right infrastructure is in place and people can generate local wealth."

Trivallis gave residents the option to stay in Penrhys or move due to the development, and Huw says most wanted to stay.

"The community that's left now absolutely loves being from Penrhys. Most people love living up there, it's a really tight-knit community." Plus, as he points out, "there's not many places with that view".

Back outside, sitting on a bench at the top of the hill and taking in the pretty natural surroundings, it's hard not to see the vision.